Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Walmart Canada promotes an open work environment where associates are encouraged to voice their opinions and exercise their rights.

Open Door Policy »
Engaging our associates »
Associate Opinion Survey »
Associate satisfaction and unions »

Open Door Policy

It is critical to keep the lines of communication open with our associates. Their feedback helps to grow and improve our business. Our Open Door Policy encourages associates to voice concerns and share ideas with any of their managers or other members of their management team.

The Open Door extends around the world with a toll-free global ethics hotline. This 24-hour anonymous line allows associates and the associates of our suppliers to report any ethics violation. Leaving this door open gives us a better understanding of the needs, concerns and challenges our associates, suppliers and customers face every day. In turn, we can respond in a way that addresses their needs and further reinforces a positive workforce.

Engaging our associates

We strive to ensure that Walmart associates have a strong voice at work. Beyond our Open Door Policy, associates participate in grassroots meetings throughout the year where they bring forward questions, ideas and concerns to their management team for discussion. In addition, “Tell Dave” is a program that encourages associates to submit their ideas directly to our president and CEO, David Cheesewright.

Associate Opinion Survey

“I have learned a great deal more about ways to improve our Walmart Company from listening to individual associates in stores, warehouses and offices than from my own knowledge”. Sam Walton, founder.

Respect for the individual is a hallmark of who we are. We demonstrate this in many ways – one of which is our passion for associate engagement.

We know that associate engagement increases when people feel they’re being heard. Each year, Walmart Canada conducts the Associate Opinion Survey (AOS), asking more than 86,000 people across the country for their feedback, concerns and ideas. The results help us understand our business from their perspective.

But it doesn’t stop there.

We take action. Using feedback from the survey, we create and implement plans that help us improve our business. By listening and taking action, engagement increases. In fact, between 2009 and 2010, associate engagement increased 19 per cent. Truly engaged associates delight our customers and drive business results.

Associate satisfaction and unions

Walmart Canada believes in providing associates with a work environment based on respect, dignity and a true partnership in the business. We foster an environment that welcomes the identification of challenges or problems and a mutual resolution of those challenges.

As a company, we value our associates’ right to communicate any and all concerns they have directly to their supervisor, who must quickly work to a fair and proper resolution. Our culture of open communication is important to meeting our associates’ needs. The key to preserving the climate in which we conduct our business is to always uphold the beliefs upon which Walmart was founded.

Walmart Canada also supports and respects our associates’ right to exercise freedom of association, including the decision to join or not to join a union. Associates have the legal right to make such choices, free from intimidation, coercion or undue influence from anyone.