Walmart is the 800-pound gorilla in the retail market, posting the highest sales while being supported by their 2.3 million employees. They are also the number-one retailer in Mexico and Canada, with operations that span the globe (Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia), including owning a 95% stake in Japanese retailer SEIYU. Their international division has experienced massive growth, accounting for 26% of total revenues with over 6,100 stores. Locally, Walmart manages 655 Sam’s Club warehouses and around 4,570 Walmart stores, with the increasing trend toward less extensive store designs.

How can Walmart continue to expand successfully in the United States as well as internationally and offer products to their growing number of customers? The key to business growth for any firm, including Walmart and its more than 2 million employees, is human resource management. How does human resources (HR) perform such functions?

Job analysis and design are implemented through the company’s hierarchical functional structure. Walmart divides job analysis into two areas: work oriented and worker oriented. Work-oriented job analysis is used to analyze sales force work situations using direct observation and interviewing, and it provides HR with a benchmark of desirable work outcomes. In order to analyze managerial positions and gather data on perceptual, interpersonal, and critical-thinking skills, Walmart developed the Work Profiling System (WPS). This worker-oriented approach focuses on the critical skill set needed to become a successful corporate or store executive.

Job descriptions are created from HR’s job analyses and include the following factors for all jobs:

• Duties

• Functions

• Job factors

• Job knowledge

• Performance standards Job specifications, on the other hand, are employed for all job descriptions and are divided into desirable and essential worker attributes.......

Questions 

1. How is job analysis performed at Walmart? What job analysis methods are employed?
2. What are the pros and cons of the job analysis methods used for Walmart’s sales force?
3. For which position does Walmart use task- or competency-based job analysis?
4. What are the main differences in job specifications between Walmart’s sales force and their managers?
5. What are the methods Walmart uses for HR forecasting?
Which are quantitative, and which are qualitative?
6. How does Walmart try to prevent labor shortages or surpluses?