CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The NACS HR Forum concluded last week with retailer-specific presentations from convenience store chains that are investing in their workforce.
Stephanie Doliveira, vice president of human resources at Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz, shared that the president and CEO, Joe Sheetz, is “singing from the same sheet of music” regarding the high bar the company places on investing in its people. “I don’t have to convince them,” she said of the family-business leadership.
At Sheetz, with about 530 locations in six states and 17,000 employees, investing in its people drives the bottom line—and it’s the right thing to do. This year is “the year of the people,” Doliveira said, explaining that competition for quality labor and wage pressures are driving many of the workforce enhancements Sheetz is undertaking. The company has changed its store management structure, revamped employee uniforms, introduced higher wages, enriched employee training and development, and defined leadership competencies.
New employee development implemented at Sheetz has been designed to free up store managers so they can move beyond task training and focus more on the “people stuff.” Leadership competencies are relatively new for Sheetz, an acknowledgment that to have a healthy store culture, hiring management personnel with competencies required to manage a Sheetz store is essential. Core competencies also help during the hiring process as a guide to drill in on certain skillsets, workplace experiences and conflict resolution.
Sheetz announced last week it has been named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2016 list, a testament to the company’s efforts to create a highly engaging workplace environment.
Whitney Woodward, vice president of human resources at Atlanta-based RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., shared how the southeast retailer is investing in its key competitive advantage: its employees.
The search for talent is tough, Woodward said, noting that RaceTrac is focusing on development at the store level and its store support center. In the past, training at RaceTrac was mostly focused on delivering that “wow” experience for customers. Today, training is also about wowing employees from the hiring stage to orientation, designed to excite new staff about being immersed in the RaceTrac culture and team, and through field-training and onboarding.
New this year to its process, RaceTrac has introduced tablet-based training, a nod to the younger generation’s desire to connect and learn through technology. The training sessions are developed in-house at RaceTrac, giving employees a chance to practice skills on their own.
RaceTrac has also enhanced training and development to grow current employees into future managerial and leadership roles. In the past, the message to folks seeking advancement opportunities was “keep doing what you’re doing.” Today, managers can nominate future leaders in their stores for promotion, and those selected are given the opportunity to sharpen their skills through weeklong field training. When the training wraps up, employees who don’t demonstrate that they’re ready to move up are given an action plans for skills to work on.
HR Forum participants also heard insights and best practices from Kurt Weigel, recruiting manager at Powell, Tennessee-based Weigel’s Stores Inc., and Bob Graczyk, vice president of human resource at Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based QuickChek Corporation.