Why Human Connection Wins in Convenience

By Chrissy Blasinsky

In a c-store environment often defined by speed, checklists and constant alerts, it’s easy for leadership to become transactional. At the 2026 NACS HR Forum, Melanie Disney, director of human resources at EZ Stop/Calloway Oil Company, cautioned that this type of behavior will come at a cost.

“Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. employees are disengaged today, and retail is right in the middle of that,” Disney said, citing Gallup Poll data. She added that the root problem isn’t effort or execution—it’s lost connection. “When everything is about a task, employees feel unseen, unheard and replaceable.”

Disney shared that store managers often start the day reviewing checklists and diving into tasks instead of intentionally connecting with employees—a disconnect that can have consequences. In 2025, assistant managers’ total average turnover increased from 36.6% to 49.95%, according to the NACS Talent Insights Dashboard.

EZ Stop formalized a “Connection Operating System,” which defines how leaders consistently connect with employees through daily touchpoints and expectations. The system treats leadership behaviors as standard operating procedures. “We write an SOP for everything,” Disney said. “So why do we not have an operating procedure for what we expect out of our leaders?”

She explained that connection is built into onboarding, coaching, recognition and communication, ensuring leadership remains relational even as technology handles tasks and compliance. “Technology becomes the assistant,” Disney said. “Leadership has to remain the relationship.”

A core element of the system is clarity, she explained, where leaders are taught what “great” looks like and how company values translate into observable behaviors. Without that structure, Disney said the culture could be “accidentally designed by stress, personality and inconsistencies.”

EZ Stop also ties employee recognition directly to core values, reinforcing expected behaviors and building trust. “Recognition becomes the bridge between culture and coaching,” Disney said, noting that consistent acknowledgment lowers defensiveness and makes feedback more effective.

Ultimately, the system reframes engagement among the frontline teams. “Engagement is not a morale problem,” Disney said. “It’s a leadership design problem.”

By intentionally creating connections at scale, Disney suggested that retailers can shift from a transactional style of management to one that is rooted in trust, which ultimately helps improve employee retention, performance and the culture.

Read more about the NACS Human Resources Forum in the June 2026 issue of NACS Magazine feature “Today's Top Workplace Compliance Concerns.”

How Does Your Company Compare to Others in the C-Store Industry?

The NACS Talent Insights Dashboard enables leaders to benchmark against retail operators like them by role, company size and store context to make labor and business decisions based on relevant peer data. Using the Dashboard enables HR and operations leaders to develop defensible HR strategies and proposals to their executive leaders.

This interactive digital tool delivers survey-based benchmarking and analysis on compensation, turnover, benefits and recruitment, serving as a vital resource for HR professionals seeking industry-specific guidance. Dashboard users can access detailed data and analysis in key areas such as annual base salaries, health insurance and other benefits programs offered by retailers, metrics for corporate, operational and store-level employees and 30-/60-/90-day turnover rates and more.

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