Why Walmart is giving employees free Galaxy XCover Pro smartphones

Retail giant Walmart has debuted a new employee-exclusive app that will help workers get through the day.

Me@Walmart will let workers view their shifts up to two weeks in advance, check on their upcoming paid time off and make schedule change requests. The app will also provide employees with a virtual clock-in feature. Workers can use the app to communicate through push-to-talk capabilities, eliminating the need for walkie-talkies.

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“We’re always looking for ways to simplify our operations so our associates can focus on serving customers,” says Drew Holler, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. people operations. “The idea of the Me@Walmart app started as a way to help manage associates’ schedules, but grew to include best-in-class technology, like machine learning, augmented reality, camera vision and artificial intelligence, so our associates are empowered to tackle complex problems.”

In addition to the app, Walmart is planning to equip over 740,000 of its employees with new Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro smartphones, cases and protection plans at no cost to them. This is another way Walmart says it is trying to invest in its people while also improving the customer experience.

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“Associates will only be able to access the app’s work features while they’re on the clock, but they can also use the smartphone as their own personal device if they want, with all the features and privacy they’re used to,” Holler says. “Walmart will not have access to any personal data.”

The relationship between employers and employees has evolved tremendously since the influx of younger talent — Millennials and Gen-Zers — entered the workforce. This crop of employees is more vocal about what kinds of benefits, perks and support they want from the organizations they work for. Employers need to continue to make greater investments in programs and tools that provide employees with the holistic support they need, both in and out of the workplace.

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“As retail continues to evolve, it’s more critical than ever to equip our people with the tools and technology they need for success — while at the same time, simply making work more fun,” Holler says. “Giving them the right tools to do their jobs allows associates to focus on giving our customers a great experience.”