Can Walmart Reject PPTO – 5 Things To Know!

No one wants to get sick, and no one especially wants to get sick when looking at an entire week’s worth of work. Thankfully, Walmart has a policy that can pay employees for their time off. Before you request PPTO for any reason, you should ask yourself: can Walmart reject PPTO?

Walmart can reject PPTO if it is not used for the correct reasons. In that case, the employee’s regular PTO will be used.

PPTO is given to employees for specific reasons, which we’ll cover in this article. To learn more about your opportunities as an employee, keep reading!

5 Things To Know About PPTO And PTO

Knowing that two kinds of paid time off can be confusing, but the categories are put in place to help employees.

Time Off Is Split Between PTO And PPTO

The first thing to know is that accrued time off will be split between Paid Time Off and Protected Paid Time Off. 

You do not need to do anything special to add your time to either bucket; it will be done automatically, so you don’t need to worry!

If you are a temporary employee working over the holidays or in the summer, you’re only going to earn PPTO, though it isn’t much different from PTO. 

PTO Can Be Used For Anything

Your PTO can be used for any reason. 

There are no restrictions to what your PTO can be used for, so you can request a day off for things like:

• A birthday
• A mental health day
• Other commitments
• A wedding or other event
• A vacation
• A day off to run errands
• Doctors appointments or other appointments

PPTO Has Specific Uses

PPTO, on the other hand, has some specific uses.

PPTO is reserved for things like illness of yourself or a family member, so your regular time off will be used before your PPTO.

If you’ve used up all of your PTO and only have PPTO remaining, you will be able to use your PPTO. More on this later.

Unused PPTO Carries Over To The Next Year

You won’t lose PPTO from one year to the next, which often is the case at other companies.

If you had a busy year or one where you did not find yourself sick enough to use paid time off, you might worry that you’ll lose all that extra time.

The good news is that you won’t! Your time off will be carried over to the next year so that you won’t lose out. 

PTO May Be Cashed Out

The other thing to know about unused paid time off is that you may get cashed out for it in February.

There are some specific criteria that you need to meet to be cashed out for certain amounts, which you can check out here.

Everyone is different, but I would not be upset if I was paid for my time off and used some of the remaining in the following year. It’s a pretty good deal if you don’t take excessive time off!

3 Ways That PPTO Can Be Used

Employees can use PPTO for a few specific reasons. Your store’s policy may have finer points to using this. 

When You’re Sick

One of the main reasons why employees use PPTO is when they are sick. 

PPTO is protected, so employees can use it when they are ill, whether for a planned procedure or simply a cold or the flu. 

Sick leave is probably the top reason why an employee would dip into their PPTO.

When A Family Member Is Sick

Employees can also use PPTO when a family member is sick.

We all have responsibilities outside of work, and sometimes sick or aging family members are one of those responsibilities. 

If you find yourself in a position where you need to care for someone in your family, you don’t have to take unpaid leave from work. You can use your PPTO for this.

An Unexpected Event 

Life is always there to throw curveballs at us, but thankfully PPTO can help bridge the gap with work.

Unexpected events include things like:

• Flat tires or other car problems
• A sick pet
• A house call visit from someone like a plumber or contractor

Most companies provide bereavement leave and paid time off for jury duty, so you may not have to use your PPTO for this. 

You will, however, have to use PPTO if you need more time off than is given or if the person who passed away was not in your immediate family.

Vacation Time

PPTO can be used for vacation time, but it will not be used first.

Technically, employees can also use PPTO as vacation time if they apply, but it will be rejected if they still have PTO.

Walmart will use the employee’s PTO and the PPTO if the employee asks for more time off. The employee cannot solely use PPTO for a planned vacation.

3 Reasons A PPTO Request May Be Denied

Here are a few more specific reasons why your request has gotten denied.

You Need To Use PTO First

I mentioned this already, but it bears repeating: you need to use your PTO first if you plan to use it for something like a vacation.

Since PPTO has specific uses, it may get rejected.

Make sure to speak with your manager so they do not outright reject your request and look at your PTO hours.

It Is During Blackout Dates

Some stores are strict when it comes to blackout dates.

Your manager may choose to deny your request if your request is during high traffic times like Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas.

Most store managers should, however, understand that you or someone else may be ill. 

You Have No PTO Left

Your request will be denied if you do not have any PTO left.

Not everyone keeps on top of their time off hours, so you may not have realized that you used all your hours.

In that case, your store manager will reject your time off. Your manager still may allow you to take time off, but you will not be compensated for that time taken.