Even careful people are sometimes involved in circumstances beyond their control. Accidents can happen at work just like they can anywhere, even in what may seem safe work environments. All it takes is a slip and a fall and you end up in hospital wondering who is going to pay the bills. If you work for a large corporation like Whole Foods, the chances are you will be able to claim workers’ compensation, which should help to pay for any medical costs and at least some of any wages which you might not receive because you are unable to return to work promptly. If you are unsure of your legal position it is best to talk to a workers’ compensation attorney before filing the claim. Whole Food Markets Inc. – A Company Profile Whole Foods Markets Inc. is a supermarket chain with headquarters in Austin, Texas. It is quite different from other supermarket chains because it only sells organic food stuffs, i.e. those without any preservatives or other additives. There are over 430 stores located across America and a number of other countries including Canada and the U.K. The main place where products are sourced from is Watsonville, California. There were 91,000 employees working for Whole Foods as of 2015. Hourly wages at Whole Foods The hourly wage for a Whole Foods employee depends on the sort of job done, the level of skill involved, the location of the supermarket and the time or day worked. The normal hourly wage is taken into consideration if an employee is injured or develops a workplace related illness with respect to a workers’ compensation claim. The following are some typical hourly wages for Whole Foods employees. Cashiers may earn anywhere from $9.91 up to $13.70. Meat cutters earn between $12.12 and $23.26 an hour. Buyers earn between $13.47 and $20.16 an hour. Customer service supervisors could earn anything between $11.07 and $16.50 as an hourly wage. These hourly wage rates were taken from the payscale.com website which was updated for Whole Foods in January 2017. The Value of Whole Foods Workers' Comp Claim When a workers’ compensation claim is calculated, it will be composed of two separate amounts. The more difficult to calculate will be the cost of medical treatment. It is important that this takes into account the estimated cost of any future treatment. Documentation is important as it must show what has been already paid for, and evidence that the treatment was related to a workplace injury or illness. The second payment is based on lost earnings, but this is never the full wages. The most common percentage is 66.6%, or thereabouts, of the wage that the employee would have earned if he or she had been at work. An example for a Whole Foods meat cutter earning $15 an hour normally who had an unfortunate accident would be that he or she should be able to claim $10 for every hour absent from work because of an injury or illness. An Attorney Can be of Great Help When Calculating a Claim It can be quite difficult to calculate what a workers’ compensation claim might be worth. It’s enough to contend with the actual injury or illness itself. If you are finding it’s all getting too much to deal with, talk to a workers’ comp. attorney who can help you calculate your claim, get your paperwork sorted out and negotiate on your behalf. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Whole Foods, or any other company, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
