Walmart Mexico launched a pilot program in 100 of its stores to transition to a 40-hour workweek, staying ahead of regulatory changes that took effect in the country in 2026. As reported by Xataka México, the company aimed to evaluate the operational, economic, legal, and social impacts of this adjustment before the reform became mandatory.
During the first-quarter 2025 earnings presentation, Ignacio Caride, CEO of Walmart Mexico, noted that the company had been operating under this model in selected branches for over a year and a half. The primary goal was not merely to comply with the law, but to identify productivity bottlenecks.
"What we are doing is operating stores with a 40-hour format for our associates to identify bottlenecks, see what we can do, and determine what we need to eliminate," Caride explained to analysts. The executive emphasized that the company focused on stripping away activities that failed to add value to the business.
Productivity and Well-being Findings
The experiment revealed that a shorter workweek is viable if redundant processes are removed. Caride pointed out that the company identified numerous tasks that could be discontinued without affecting operations, operating under the premise that "the worst thing you can do is optimize a process you don't need."
Internal Walmart reports indicated that the transition did not result in operational losses. Furthermore, employees reported higher motivation and a better work-life balance, which translated into improved individual productivity.
Raúl Quintana, Senior Vice President of Omnichannel Operations, told El Economista that the company maintains a proactive policy regarding potential legal shifts. To facilitate this transition, the chain integrated inventory management tools and digital automation processes.
Addressing analyst concerns regarding a potential increase in overtime costs, CFO Pablo García dismissed the scenario. "The idea is to be more productive, not to make covering those extra shifts more expensive," the executive stated.
The official reform, passed in 2026, established a staggered reduction of two hours per year between 2027 and 2030. Although there were initial questions regarding rest days, secondary legislation approved by the Senate in April corrected the wording of Article 61, solidifying the 40-hour workweek standard.
