ATLANTA -- Instead of constantly combating turnover, RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. has started to take a new approach.
In most of the areas where the Atlanta-based retailer operates the unemployment rate ticks in around 4%, even dipping to 3.4% in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In response, the chain is trying to help managers understand that employees are looking at things on a short-term basis and to not be upset when someone leaves.
“We still care about turnover, but it can have the law of diminishing returns to only focus on turnover,” Nichole Upshaw, director of human resources for the 430-unit chain, said at this year’s NACS Show. “People are going to get frustrated and burnt out. So, we’re asking ourselves, ‘How can we make it a great place for the people who are here today.’ ”
Here’s how the retailer is taking a side path around the uphill battle of turnover ...