Walmart expands mental health support, leave resources for associates

When stress, grief or a family emergency starts affecting attendance, Walmart’s first move is not to guess. Associates can go to Lyra for 20 no-cost therapy or coaching sessions per person each year, starting on day one, and Sedgwick handles paid or unpaid leave when work has to give way to birth, adoption, military service or a serious health condition.

The mental health benefit is broad enough to matter before a crisis turns into a missed shift. Walmart says the Lyra access is available even if an associate is not enrolled in a Walmart medical plan, and it covers issues including depression, PTSD, parenting, burnout and life transitions. For associates enrolled in most medical plans, the company says Lyra can also connect them to neuropsychological evaluations and medication support. Current wellbeing materials add Supportiv peer support and 24/7 clinician support, giving workers more than one entry point when they need help fast.

The leave side is more procedural, and that is where paperwork and deadlines can decide whether time away is approved smoothly or bogs down. Walmart’s leave guides direct associates to work through Sedgwick, submit medical certification when required and track the status of a leave through viaOne express. That matters because a leave request tied to a birth, adoption or serious health condition can stall if documentation is late or incomplete.

The company says eligible associates can receive up to 16 weeks of paid leave for birth mothers. Other public benefits materials say U.S. salaried associates get 12 weeks of parental leave, while full-time hourly associates get 6 weeks. When maternity leave and parental leave are combined, Walmart says a U.S. salaried birth parent can take up to 22 weeks off, and a full-time hourly birth parent can take up to 16 weeks off.

Walmart has been pushing the resources as part of its broader Thrive well-being suite and says they are easier to find through the MyWalmartCares page. In May 2023, the company said it was raising free therapy and coaching sessions from 10 to 20 per person per year. It also said more than 10,000 associates completed a workplace mental health course in the first four weeks, proactive outreach reached more than 50,500 associate households, and support was provided to more than 24,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club families in the U.S.

The practical takeaway for hourly associates and managers is simple: know the channel before the emergency hits. Lyra covers emotional support, Sedgwick covers leave, and the difference between the two can determine whether an associate gets help, pay and job protection without starting from zero under pressure.