Lowe's Makes Big Move to Help Workers With Inflation

To help its hourly front-line workers amid historic inflation, Lowe's said on an earnings call Wednesday that it will be awarding $55 million in bonuses for them and offering limited-time employee discounts of as much as 20% on household and cleaning essentials, NBC News reports. "We will continue to look for meaningful ways to improve our associates’ work-life balance while providing them with the tools to build a career at Lowe’s," an executive vice president said. Bonuses will be paid out Sept. 9, though the Washington Post reports it's not clear how much each employee will receive.

Other employers have been offering bonuses to help their workers deal with inflation, or similar offerings like gift cards to offset the cost of gas, though those types of pay bumps are not typically as beneficial as an actual raise (and are still taxed). Even so, says the owner of one company that offered worker bonuses, "We saw that inflation could affect the quality of living. We pay well, but people have to have the quality of life they come to work to earn. [This bonus] could be the difference between a burger and a steak, or another birthday present for their child." (More Lowe's stories.)