25,000 Walmart associates attended seminars or watched broadcasts on diversity topics last year.

Women dominate at this big-box retailer, where they represent 59% of all associates and 30% of all corporate officers. Multicultural women are a growing force, too: African-American women hold more than 10% of company jobs, while Hispanic women occupy 6% of positions. The President’s Global Council of Women Leaders looks for new ways to keep female employees engaged and develop them for leadership roles. One initiative that helps: the company’s Diversity Goals program, which requires its 50,000 managers to mentor at least three associates and participate in at least one diversity-related event annually. They must also make sure that their hiring reflects their applicant pool. If managers ignore these goals, up to 15% of their bonus (and possible future raises) will be affected. New rules dictate that each business division must create diversity and inclusion plans, and the company’s 1.4 million associates have already stepped up to take diversity training. Change is happening: Women now fill 41% of all officer and manager positions company-wide (up from 39% in 2003), while people of color occupy 26% of those roles (up from 21% in 2003). Meanwhile, some 25,000 Walmart associates attended seminars or watched broadcasts on diversity topics last year. One question remains, however: A six-year- old class-action lawsuit claiming sexual discrimination against women is still open; the company disputes the allegations and is seeking a reversal of the suit’s class-action status.

Multicultural Women 21%
President & CEO Mike Duke
VP & Chief Diversity Officer L. Mecole Brown

At Wal-Mart, multicultural women represent…
5% of corporate executives
8% of senior managers
11% of the top earners
21% of the company hires
22% of the company losses
19% of participants in mentoring programs
Not tracked % of participants in career counseling programs