Walmart Brasil aims to lead by example. To this end, it expends considerable effort in trying to achieve a better balance between economic, social and environmental spheres within its operations. Eco-efficient stores, more visibility for products with sustainability differentials and the appropriate management of residue disposal, are just some of the initiatives that have been developed. However, none of this would be possible without the commitment and technical training of its employees, which is the reason why the company heavily invests in the training and well-being of its more than 75,000 employees.
In 2013, the company closed 25 stores, the performance of which had failed to meet up to expectations, ending the year with 75,000 employees. Additionally, Walmart adopted measures to improve the management of its workforce and adjust its staffing levels to match the seasonal variation in the sector, as well as making changes to existing working hours in the various store formats and regions.
| Total employees (December 31, 2013)1 | |
|---|---|
| Staff that are permanent or on open-ended contracts | 72,652 |
| Staff that are either temporary, or on contracts with a set time limit | 1,705 |
| Part-time employees | 1,013 |
| Interns | 67 |
| Trainees | 38 |
| Total2 and 3 | 75,475 |
| 1. Walmart does not provide data on outsourced workers, or professional staff that work on an autonomous basis. 2. This figure represents Walmart Brazil's entire workforce, including interns and ex-patriots. 3. 41,314 women (54.7%) and 34,161 men (45.3%). |
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| Northeast | Quantity | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Women | 13,586 | 49.70 | ||
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Men | 13,765 | 50.30 | ||
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Total | 27,351 | 36.20 | ||
| Midwest | Quantity | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Women | 1,048 | 56.20 | ||
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Men | 818 | 43.80 | ||
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Total | 1,866 | 2.50 | ||
| Southeast | Quantity | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Women | 10,077 | 55.60 | ||
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Men | 8,059 | 44.40 | ||
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Total | 18,136 | 24.00 | ||
| South | Quantity | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Women | 16,603 | 59.00 | ||
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Men | 11,519 | 41.00 | ||
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Total | 28,122 | 37.30 | ||
| Total for Brazil | Quantity | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Total women | 41,314 | 54.70 | ||
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Total Men | 34,161 | 45.30 | ||
| Diversity indicators in 2013 | Total | Percentage1 |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 41,310 | 54.80 |
| Women in leadership positions 2 | 3,140 | 39.00 |
| Ethnics (negroes and mulattos) | 22,753 | 30.20 |
| Ethnics in leadership positions 2 | 2,149 | 26.70 |
| Disabled persons | 2,887 | 3.80 |
| Employees by age bracket | Total | Percentage1 |
| Up to 20 years of age | 7,064 | 9.40 |
| From 20 to 30 years of age | 28,086 | 37.20 |
| From 30 to 40 years of age | 24,529 | 32.50 |
| From 40 to 50 years of age | 11,085 | 14.70 |
| Over 50 years of age | 4,644 | 6.20 |
The development of its employees is a long-term investment for the company. Nothing would happen without the support, understanding and dedication of the workforce. It is the employees that carry the company's brand name and pass on its culture and values on a daily basis. For this reason when joining the company each employee undergoes rapid training, which involves an integration course at which aspects pertaining to Walmart are presented, so providing the necessary basis to acquaint employees with The Way We Work at Walmart, with corporate culture, with the business model, and with the company's policies, to assist in the adaptation process. The model applied is the same for all store formats, offices and distribution centers.
The company makes use of various training and development tools which disseminate the company's values and culture, as well as the necessary skills. It is through these courses that the company internally presents its rules of conduct, legislation and the consequences of failure to comply with labor rules, as well as what the company expects from its employees in terms of ethical and compliance aspects. This course lasts for approximately 3 hours, and is carried out using the e-learning tool, meeting the company's premise of being replicable and flexible, in order to reach its target audience throughout Brazil.
Meanwhile the Operations Academy is another line of training that aims to provide training for supervisors in stores, clubs, distribution centers and specialty divisions, in technical and leadership skills, in order to ensure a level of excellence in terms of operational performance and delivery productivity. The Academy also serves as a tool for succession, training the next generation of company leaders. While the employee acquires more knowledge and develops his or her professional potential, using these tools the company is able to establish a level of high-performance, with competitive advantages and excellence in customer service. The target audience of the Academy of Operations in 2013 was composed of directors and unit general managers. During the year, there were 6 intakes, with 40 hours of training for each. In total, 459 leaders were trained, in 240 hours of training (approximately 80% of the target audience).
Loja Sol is a another line of training, which aims to train and develop the new generation of operational leaders, in technical and leadership skills in order to ensure the implementation of strategy and the sustainability of the business. The target audience for this program is divided into three levels:
The training of Loja Sol is applied over a period of eight weeks, so that the new leaders are able to obtain a knowledge of the business, the processes involved and the tools of management, as well as learning how to apply all this knowledge in the stores.
Selection of the level of subsidy offered for professional development programs is done throughan Individual Performance Plan (PDI), that establishes operational targets for each employee at the beginning of the year, and which are reviewed on a half-yearly basis. Performance evaluation, carried out at the end of the year, takes into account skills considered by the company to be fundamental to the business, as well as individual targets. The process, in all its phases, is conducted through meetings between the individual employee and his or her respective leader. LA12
Employees of Walmart Brasil receive a series of benefits which are aimed not only at attracting new talent, but also retaining professional staff already working at the company. Some of these benefits also extend to employee dependents. In addition to this, all employees (100%) are covered by collective wage agreements, which include aspects related to health and safety, especially with respect to description practices recommended by the unions. LA3LA4
All the company’s salaries take the minimum national salary base as a reference, while also respecting negotiations with local unions. In the stores (operations), the lowest salaries paid for men and women are the equivalent to the minimum national salary – which in 2013, amounted to R$ 678.00 – or the regional minimum salary. In the offices, the lowest salary was 18% above the minimum wage defined by law (national or regional). The company does not make a differentiation in salary by gender. A minimum and maximum remuneration figure is established for each job category, with possible variations in light of the region in which the employee works, and the number of hours worked each week. All staff participate in the Employee Profit Sharing Program, which encourages the meeting of set targets and results, providing the possibility of additional gains for employees. EC5LA14
Recruitment and selection policies always give priority to workers who are already with the company, to fill vacant posts. If no persons are available with the appropriate training, a process of external recruitment is started, whereby preference is given to people residing close to the company's units. EC7
Sustainability is an important core value for Walmart. It is part of the company's DNA, and for this reason, needs to be disseminated right across the company. In order to achieve this mission, Walmart during 2013 worked on the concept of productivity using the slogan We Operate for Less. The internal campaign for the dissemination of this concept uses a video, which is updated annually, called General Mobilization, with presentations developed that specifically focus on the themes of water and residue. The campaign also involves the distribution of a Guide to Sustainability which highlights day-to-day practices that contribute to the sustainability of the business and a consequent reduction in costs.
Walmart also has a program known as Projetos Pessoais para Sustentabilidade (Personal Projects for Sustainability) through which employees propose initiatives and must seek to engage other people and assess the impact of the initiatives in their daily lives, on the environment, society and the economy. Each employee stipulates his or her target and objective with respect to the themes covered, in three categories: My Life (responsible buying, community or family), My Planet (water, energy or residues) and My Health (exercises, nutrition and cigarette smoking).
Diversity is an important core value for Walmart, which sees in differences the potential for innovation and continuous improvement, enabling the company to offer the best customer service in its stores, as well as an operation that guarantees the lowest prices. In order to promote this core value internally, in 2013 Walmart launched six diversity groups consisting of employee volunteers: women, disabled persons, minors, youngsters, negroes and LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites, transsexuals and transgenders). The purpose of these groups is to discuss these themes within the company and reinforce its culture with respect to these differences. In parallel, the company continued its work on the Council for Women, a group which meets on a monthly basis to debate the progress of Walmart's gender indices, such as women's ascension to leadership positions, a corporate goal. One of the activities that took place during the year was the creation of local groups from employees from the company's offices and stores, with the aim of drawing up a plan of initiatives to be implemented over the coming years. The company ended 2013 with 41,314 employees involved in these groups, in other words 54.7% of the total workforce. In leadership positions (managers, directors, co-ordinators and store supervisors, corporate offices and distribution centers), this number amounted to 1351, 34.4% of the total number of leaders within the company.
Walmart Brasil's dedication to this theme was recognized in 2013, a year in which it became the first national retail company to be awarded the Pro-Equality Seal for Gender and Race, conferred by the Department for Women's Policies (SPM), part of the Federal Government, which recognizes companies that introduce initiatives for the combating of discrimination and the promotion of racial equality. This achievement will provide encouragement and offers a challenge over the coming years, seeing that the seal must be renewed annually.
In commemoration of International Women's Day, a series of seminars were held directed at employees in the company's administrative areas and stores, with the aim of encouraging debate and reflection on the role of women and their careers, providing useful information on health matters and the balance between professional development and family life. These meetings took place at the company's central offices, in Barueri (SP), and were broadcast to all the units via TV Walmart. This event is part of Women in Retail, a global platform of Walmart which brings together all the initiatives carried out by women, split into four key elements: development; professional staff retention and growth; attraction of female talent and their inclusion; and investment in the dissemination of this theme outside the company.
Having stores that have an ever lower impact on the environment, and an increasingly greater impact socially in the region in which they operate, is a fundamental premise at Walmart. This was the mission that led the company to build the first hypermarket in Brazil 100% lit by LED lamps, in Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo state. The success of this initiative was due thanks to the partnership work carried out in the supply chain in order to identify the supplier best suited to developing custom-made lights and systems for the unit, which has a total constructed area of 7900 square meters. The exclusive use of LED lighting saves over 27% in illumination costs, while also reducing the cost of maintenance due to the greater longevity of the product. By the end of 2014, Walmart will have another 15 stores in its chain that will be undergoing remodeling and which will be fitted with this type of lighting in their respective sales areas.
Walmart already has 42 stores in Brazil denominated as being eco-efficient, as they employ a combination of initiatives which aim to reduce the use of ecosystem services; 10 were launched in 2013. The company also has one eco-efficient distribution center. Over the years, Walmart has developed a menu of more than 60 sustainability initiatives, which must be used in the construction of new units or the remodeling of old ones. For example, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment used in Walmart Brazil's new stores no longer uses R22 gas, which may be harmful to the ozone layer and increase the greenhouse effect. In its place, the company uses R404A, which does not affect the ozone layer. In 2013, Walmart reached its global target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, taking the year 2005 as its starting base. This objective was reached ahead of target.
Walmart Brasil consumes 6970 tons of materials in 2013, with 0.36% of this total coming from recycled sources (25 tons of recycled paper).
| Materials Used (tons) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct materials (renewable) | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| A4 paper | 148 | 156 | 200 | 189 | 106 |
| Non-renewable materials | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Polystyrene trays | 640 | 684 | 600 | 504 | 473 |
| Stretch film | 480 | 456 | 800 | 863 | 807 |
| Film for food covering | 704 | 753 | 700 | 401 | 643 |
| Plastic bags | 5490 | 5258 | 4926 | 5113 | 4941 |
The Company constantly works on reducing its energy footprint, even in light of its operational expansion. To do this, it needs to optimize its resources and promote practices that aim to reduce energy consumption. The company has an action plan to achieve a 100% use of energy from renewable sources, and reduce energy consumption by 20%, taking 2011 as its starting base. In 2013, 35 units switched from the captive electricity market to the free market, ending the year with 84 of its units using this electricity supply model. In 2014, the aim is to raise the total number of stores that have switched over to the so-called free electricity market, to 96. The units that switch over to the free market use power that comes from small hydro-electric dams, biomass plants, as well as other renewable energy sources. This switchover has resulted in a cost reduction of 11.45%, enabling generators to be turned off at peak hours, with a resulting saving in diesel oil and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to achieve greater efficiency, Walmart is in the process of replacing its old refrigerators with new ones, equipped with doors that reduce the loss of cold air which occurs as a result of heat exchange with the environment, as well as the fitting of these type of doors to existing refrigerators.
Even with all these efforts, the company ended the year showing an increase in electricity consumption, as a result of the installation of air conditioning equipment to improve general temperature comfort levels. In 2013 the company used 963,104 MWh (3,467,174.4 GJ) of power. For 2014, measures are in place which should result in a saving of 22,284 MWh – 80,222.4 GJ, in 458 stores –, a 2.8% reduction in consumption compared to 2013. These measures include:
| Direct energy consumption in 2013 (GJ) | |
|---|---|
| Diesel | 263,726,237.88 |
| LPG gas | 149,058.30 |
Walmart Brasil is working towards a target of completely phasing out the sending of solid residues from its operations to landfill sites, by 2025. In 2013, of the 140,800 tons of residue generated, 39% was disposed of in an alternative manner. Although there was an increase in the total amount of residue generated, this figure is due to the fact that that the company has implemented better management of this aspect, with an increase in the number of units monitored. To reach its target, the company is operating on various different fronts. One of the most significant of these is to train its employees in the understanding of the importance of reducing residue generation. By means of a course, the company has been training its employees in residue management, training which had the participation of 89% of its professional staff.
Another front being worked on by the company involves a commercial partnership, whereby some units have already managed to achieve composting of the organic waste from the stores for the production of vegetable-based soil and organic fertilizers, which are sold in Walmart's units in the São Paulo metropolitan region. This initiative meant that 104 tons a month of organic waste is no longer disposed of in landfill sites, while also cutting out the cost of the removal and transport of this material.
When reduction is not possible, the company strives to ensure the correct destination of its residues. Turning garbage into a source of income has also been a focus of the company's efforts, seeing in this process a way of completing the life-cycle of its operations.
During the year, Walmart reviewed its authorization process for companies that collect residue from Walmart Brasil’s store chain, focusing particularly on the management of materials considered dangerous. To maintain quality control over this process, Walmart works on developing its suppliers so that they have the structure and tools necessary to maintain the companies established standards. In 2013, 22 tenders were put out, with 293 environmental service companies being analyzed – 114 with respect to environmental requirements and 179 with respect to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
The process of providing a stimulus for garbage collection co-operatives also involved the introduction of a Document Management System for the destination of the material collected. These service providers provide data electronically, which facilitates data storage, monitoring and access, should there be a requirement. An outsourced company is responsible for analyzing the documentation sent in and validating it before insertion into the system.
With the National Consumer Department (Senacon), linked to the Ministry of Justice, the company is working on developing initiatives to improve its customer service, participating in discussions about regulation of the sector and procedures to be adopted in the event of repeated weaknesses perceived in the manufacturing of essential goods. Walmart Brasil also participated in the setting-up of the A Better House for Me program, the purpose of which is to provide financing for furniture and domestic appliances to people benefiting from another government program My House, My Life. The program offers those benefited access to quality products to furnish their houses and provide more comfort to families who have risen from the D and E socio-economic classes.
Through the Associação Brasileira de Supermercados (Abras) (Brazilian Supermarket Association), the company has already engaged itself in reducing the cost of basic foodstuffs, as set out by the Federal Government, which brought an end to the charging of federal taxes (PIS/Cofins and IPI) on certain items. Also, through the intermediation of Abras, the company took part in the debate on the National Plan for Solid Residues, particularly in the drawing-up of a sector agreement.
In the different states in which it operates, Walmart Brasil is working to establish partnerships with Procons (consumer defense bodies). In 2013, it also expanded its partnerships to the state of Paraná and the Federal District, with its campaign De Olho na Validade (Keeping an Eye on Sell-by Dates), the aim of which is to encourage consumers to check their product sell-by dates, and improve the monitoring and control processes in supermarkets. Walmart Brasil is also a participant in the Câmara Técnica de Segurança Alimentar (Technical Chamber for Food Safety), coordinated by Fundação Procon – SP, Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec) (The Brazilian Consumer Defense Institute) and the Associação Paulista de Supermercados (Apas) (São Paulo Supermarket Association).The initiative aims to create synergy between the retail sector and the inspection body, with the aim of acting in a preventive manner on themes connected to the segment and consumer relations.
In 2013, Walmart Brazil was invited by the Mayor of São Paulo to be part of the City Council, a channel for dialogue between the municipal administration and society as a whole. The group of advisers held four meetings during the year to analyze matters fundamental to São Paulo city, such as the revision of its Plano Diretor (Master Plan).
In the environmental area, Walmart became part of the Grupo de Trabalho de Sacolas Plásticas (Plastic Bag Work Group) created by the Ministério do Meio Ambiente (Ministry for the Environment) to hold debates on this subject. In the fiscal area, the company supported approval of the law which now makes it obligatory to provide a tax breakdown on receipts and invoices. Walmart also participated in a pioneering project for the issue of electronic tax invoices, known as NFC-e, for consumers in Rio Grande do Sul, at the invitation of the Secretary for Finance.
