Walmart Hopes Allowing Jeans Will Make For Happy Workers

(RTTNews) - In a bid to make its employees more happier and friendlier, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) announced several changes, which includes relaxation of dress code, improved temperature control in stores and the return of Wal-Mart Radio.

Starting from July 1, Wal-Mart's US store employees will be allowed to wear black- or khaki-colored jeans. Workers who do more physical intensive jobs will be allowed to wear T-shirts and blue denim. Meanwhile, all workers should wear blue Wal-Mart vests and name tags, the company's spokesman Kory Lundberg said. According to Lundberg, the relaxation in dress code will enable improve employee morale.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart also announced the return of its radio station, known as "Walmart Radio", which was discontinued about nine years ago. The company made the decision to bring back the radio service after many employees complained about music being played repeatedly in the stores.

Walmart also announced that the temperatures of stores in the east and central regions will be raised from 74 degrees to 75 degrees after employees complained about cold atmosphere. While, in the west, in-store temperature will be lowered to 75 degrees from 76, after employees complained about the heat.

Walmart, which is currently focusing on improving its customer service to boost its sales, had earlier raised employee wages for more than a third of its 1.4 million U.S. workers. The new wages, which will go into effect late July, has been increased to about $9, while the company plans to raise it further to $10 by next year.

WMT is currently trading at $74.33, down $0.56 or 0.75%, on the NYSE.