Walmart employees often mistake the Protected Paid Time Off for Paid Time Off. Most of them think that these two mean the same thing. However, there are major differences between PPTO and PTO. Both PPTO and PTO allow you to take leave from work, but the former is protected, and the latter is regular.
Understanding the Walmart absence policy is important. Otherwise, you might earn absence points for not showing up to work on your scheduled days. Every employee who works in Walmart deserves time off for some days.
So, you must know the time-off benefits your employers provide with PPTO and PTO. Spending time away from your daily work schedule is beneficial in many ways. For instance, workers who take vacations have lower stress, motivating them to achieve business goals.
Let’s learn the differences between PPTO and PTO and easy ways to earn them at Walmart:
What Is It PPTO and PTO at Walmart?
PPTO offers paid job-protected time off for Walmart employees when they need it the most. Apply for PPTO when you have a severe health issue or must take care of your family members.
Employees can request a PPTO for any unexpected events they can’t attend at work. However, you must check your facility’s attendance policy to know whether you’re eligible for a PPTO.
You can take a day off using PPTO and still get paid. However, you must report the absence to your store manager beforehand. Otherwise, he might cancel your PPTO request if they don’t have anyone to cover your scheduled shift.
On the other hand, PTO plans are more flexible than PPTOs. It lets you take leave on holidays or for personal needs. No rules are associated with the PTO program, and one can use it for vacations.
PPTO and PTO – What are their Differences?
If you work at Walmart, you must know the differences between the PPTO and PTO plans. Both of these paid leaves are used for different reasons. Workers can only use PPTO for emergency cases.
Walmart workers can use PPTO when their store manager doesn’t approve their leave request. For instance, you have to admit any of your family members to the hospital, but if your manager isn’t approving the leave request, using PPTO in such cases will be beneficial.
Avoid getting penalty points in the Walmart point system chart with Protected Paid Time Off. Earning occurrences in this company can reduce your chances of getting time-off benefits and lead to termination. So, a PTO can be used for regular leaves, while a PPTO is for emergencies.
PPTO and PTO – How Can You Earn them at Walmart?
Earning PTO at Walmart depends on your hours in the store. Your store manager calculates your working hours while approving your PTO. So, Walmart employees earn PTO with every hour they work.
Are you working at Walmart for 2-3 years? You can earn PTOs faster than temporary associates. However, the amount of PTO you earn will depend on whether you work full-time or part-time at Walmart.
Some of your earned PTO will be added to the PPTO plan; the rest can be turned into cash. Remember that you must work for at least 48 hours to avail of PTO. On the other hand, employees can earn 1 hour of PPTO for working 30 hours yearly.
How to Request a PTO and PPTO at Walmart?
Most employees working at Walmart need to be made aware of the process to request a PTO and PPTO. If you need paid time off for a few days, you must first tell your manager or supervisor. Access Walamrt’s GTA portal to request for PTO.
Ensure to select a valid reason for applying for PTO. However, If you choose “sick/other” from the time-off reasons list, Walmart will consider it a PPTO. Your store manager will accept PTO even if you fail to report your absence beforehand. However, you must have enough PPTO to avail this time-off benefit at Walmart.
Did you choose other reasons for your absence? It will automatically count as PTO. Besides holidays or vacations, Walmart employees can use PTO for short-term disabilities. Apply for a Protected PRTO if you have used all your PTO plans.
What Can You Do with the Unused Walmart PTO?
You can check your PTO and PPTO balance from OneWalmart’s GTA portal. Thus, access the online portal to know how much PTO or PPTO you have earned.
Do you have 4 hours of PPTO from the previous year and haven’t used it yet? The unused PPTO amount will be added to this year’s attendance plan. Besides, the company offers the unused regular PTO balance as cash at the plan year’s end in February.
Here is how Walmart deals with the unused PPTOs and PTOs:
- The company cashes out the unused regular PTO amount if the full-time workers have 80+ PPTO hours.
- Full-time employees with less than 80 PPTO hours and additional PTO hours will be combined to create 80 hours of PTO.
When will you receive the unused PTO amount? You must know that Walmart’s new PTO plan year begins on February 1. So, the unused PTO amount will show up in their February paycheck. However, you must contact the store manager or supervisor if you don’t get the unused leave amount.
When Shouldn’t You Use the PPTO and PTO at Walmart?
Don’t use all your regular PTO and protected PTO if you have leftover Sick Time plans. So, save the PPTO for medical emergencies and PTO to take time off to travel to your dream destination.
Here are the instances when Walmart workers can request Sick Time:
- To cover a paid medical leave not covered by Walmart’s short-term disability plan.
- Critical medical treatments for yourself.
- Take care of a family member with a serious illness.
- To cover short-term disabilities.
However, you must tell your store manager whether you’re eligible for a Sick Time plan. Sick Time doesn’t also work like other paid time-off plans like PTO or PPTO. Even full-time employees can’t use Sick Time for an unplanned absence. So, you must better understand this leave program before applying for it.
What If You Don’t Have Enough PPTO to Cover Absences when an Emergency Situation Arises?
Employees who have used all their PPTO can still apply for emergency leave. Simply, request for an Intermittent Leave of Absence (ILOA) from your manager. Alternatively, you can report an absence through OneWalmart or call 1800-775-5944.
You won’t receive absence points if your Walmart store manager approves the leave request. A Leave of Absence plan covers Walmart occurrences even if you don’t have PPTO. However, you must check the eligibility criteria for ILOA.
Have you used all of your ILOA time? Is your medical condition not eligible for the leave program? Check what are the alternative leave benefits available for you. Choose the one that covers your medical condition. However, go for other Walmart leave plans only if you don’t have PPTO and PTO or paid for them.
