Convenience-store retailers are facing challenges with disengaged employees as the Gen Z workforce displays quiet quitting, a lack of involvement at work.
But connecting with these employees by listening and creating a culture of appreciation, can re-ignite their passion in the workforce, said Bob Huebner, president of 200Mark Consulting at the NACS Show in Las Vegas last week.
“You have to get to know them and take an interest in them,” Huebner said.
Tapping into an employees’ strengths and motivations will boost their performance, he said.
Huebner outlined a few key approaches that are important with Gen Zers working in convenience stores, including the importance of keeping it simple and focusing on the fundamentals of the task at hand. He said both are a great way to re-engage the younger generation.
“When you simplify, it is easier for them to grasp and in turn they can show you what they are able to do,” Huebner said.
Amber Millwood, training and development manager for Greenville, South Carolina-based Spinx, also shared with the audience what practices have been successful to engage Spinx employees.
Spinx operates more than 80 convenience stores and employs more than 1,400 associates through its stores, food operations and related businesses. Last fall the retailer ranked seventh on the list of Fortune's Great Place to Work in the United States for women.
Hands-on leadership, investing in growth, listening to employees, and transparency are all key drivers for employee engagement, Millwood said.
To listen to their employees, Millwood said Spinx sent out a survey in 2017 asking its employees what the retailer is doing that employees don’t like.
Millwood said the response prompted the company to create five committees that addressed the following issues including, compensation, recognition, communication, career growth and benefits.
“Open communication builds trust and honest feedback leads to better workplaces,” Millwood said. “You can’t grow or change until you know what you are doing wrong.”
Huebner said giving positive feedback to employees is a given but it’s important for retailers to provide bad feedback as well.
Learning how to give all feedback is critical in the workforce right now, especially for Gen Zers, he said.
“For those who are new entering the workforce, the feedback will guide them when they are doing the right things and when they aren’t the feedback will get them back on track as soon as they can,” Huebner said.
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