7 Labor Secrets Shared at the 2018 NACS Show®
By Alaina Lancaster on Oct. 12, 2018LAS VEGAS -- This year, seats were often far and few between at NACS Show’s labor-focused sessions, where retailers gathered for solutions to their most vexing workforce issues. When it comes to finding and keeping talent, Nichole Upshaw, executive director of human resources for Atlanta-based RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., said it’s about trying thousands of different strategies to find out what works for each retailer.
Here are seven strategies to take a whack at first …
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1. Analyze the culture
When QuikTrip Corp. founder Chester Cadiuex set out for retirement, the Tulsa, Okla.-based company defined what made people want to work there. The convenience-store retailer plotted out the shared values of its most successful employees.
“One of our core values is: Never be satisfied,” said Eric Suntken, operations training and development manager for QuikTrip. “Our employees like to be fast-paced, they like multitasking. If we got the hiring right, our training requires a lot of one-on-one training, because they get bored if we have them reading task guides.” Hiring to those values, however, requires a lot of in-depth screening, he said.
Salt Lake City-based c-store retailer Maverik Inc. followed a similar process in outlining its culture. With a goal of building the coolest convenience experience on the planet, the company backed into the other pieces of the culture, said Kim Lazerus, vice president of talent management for the brand.
2. Be exact
RaceTrac has considered no longer using the word "flexible" in its job listings and recruiting language. “We have a lot of options and variety,” Upshaw said. “But if you want to work third shift one week and then bounce somewhere else, we don’t feel like we can do that.”
Retailers want to make sure they are selling the right thing, she said.
3. Delegate training responsibilities
When time-sensitive assignments come up, it is often training that gets pushed to the side, said Suntken of QuikTrip. To ensure the task is not eschewed, QuikTrip created designated trainers whose top priority is employee development. Not only do trainers sharpen their skills the more they train but they also mentor associates as they advance in their careers, he said. QuikTrip also pays bonuses based on trainees’ seniority dates so trainers have a stake in a team members’ growth.
Gier Oil Co. Inc. recently created a training manager position, said Anita Chamblee, human resources manager for the Eldon, Mo.-based c-store retailer. Each manager trains employees at three to five nearby stores. “We want to make sure new employees understand our expectations, but also that we are preparing our trainers for what we expect of them,” she said.
4. Tune into employees’ motivations
Creating a culture without looping in employees could lead to misunderstandings. “If you don’t have those processes in place where you’re engaging front-line employees, you’ll have a difficult time defining that specific culture,” said Suntken of QuikTrip.
Upshaw of RaceTrac always goes back to one question: Is the level of stress going on in the job worth the dollar amount that the employee is making? If it’s not, the employee is not likely to stick around for perks, she said. Instead of benefits, younger generations want to feel as if their supervisor is personally investing in them, Upshaw said.
5. Stay in touch
Maverik managers schedule quarterly check-ins with workers to discuss goals. During this time, associates also complete 360-degree assessments of their managers and have separate skip-level conversations with more senior team members. “We want radical candor,” Lazerus said. “We can cut through all the layers and help managers be more effective at taking care of their people.”
6. Reward regularly
To help Maverik employees understand how their performance interacts with the rest of the company, all employees can earn bonuses. For instance, the “Team Climb” bonus allows employees to earn extra money each hour for reaching monthly sales goals. Team members can also earn trips, quarterly bonuses and project-based bonuses. Beyond monetary recognition, the c-store chain also hosts town halls, called campfires, to recognize successes.
At QuikTrip, team members can take advantage of a four-week sabbatical every five years they spend with the company. The c-store also takes 300 employees on a trip to Hawaii each year for reaching certain goals. “It will only cost you if they deliver the result you need,” Suntken said.
7. Create new opportunities
In the past year, Gier Oil started creating roles that allow team members to show their strengths. In addition to the training manager position, the company launched an ambassador position that assists with training and answering questions for new team members. “We’re trying to create those opportunities that don’t really cost a lot of dollars but still give value added to that specific group,” Chamblee said.