The Year in Review - Homegrown Communications

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Wakefern
ShopRite
HR
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The Year in Review
By Bob Clare, Chairman
Retail Human Resources Committee
The Retail HR Committee and the
Wakefern HR Department
accomplished many things in 2006.
One of our greatest achievements
was gaining the recognition by
ShopRite Members of the
importance of having an HR
professional working in each store.
This “portal” to our store Associates
will be a substantial factor in our
success in expanding our Associates’
customer job performance skills.
The Deploy Hiring Kiosk software
was upgraded significantly to better
assess our job candidates and reduce
the time required to apply for work.
We developed and executed a retail
program for Bring Your Child to
Work Day. The Young Consumers
Program was successfully executed
by 5 New Members in 3 stores and 8
schools. The JARS system was
developed and piloted, with a
substantial rollout program planned
for January 2007. Our emphasis on
retail job postings and talent
sharing resulted in a number of
Wakefern recruits coming from the
stores.
2006 also marked our second
enterprise-wide Associate Satisfaction
Survey. We created six additional
Basic Skills training products and
updated many others. We have Spanish
versions now for nearly all of these
products. We also renewed our
commitment to our training and
recruiting partners in the Welfare to
Work and Supermarket Careers
programs throughout our trading area.
Our New Partners In
Training program in
Delaware has yielded us
36 Associates working in
3 stores.
Three,
Number
Two
Associates. Our commitment to
increasing our competitive advantage
by having well-trained, informationrich Associates is quite significant.
The professionalism and talent within
our committee is wonderful and
makes my job so easy. I applaud
everyone’s participation, including
those attending in person and those
who attend via live meetings.
By the way, I believe I speak for
everyone when I say that we are
thankful for the healthy return of
Phil Solomon.
Looking ahead, I am
encouraged and excited
by the things we have
done and the direction we are
taking. Our strategic planning
governance has focused us on the
basics of recruiting, training,
developing, and retaining great
“Thank you all for your hard work and
commitment to Wakefern/Shop Rite.”
We are partners in caring for our neighbors’ families, homes and communities.
2006 Retail Associate
Satisfaction Survey
By Kyle Ledford, Retail Survey and Competency Counselor
This past October and for the second time in ShopRite’s history,
all of our Retail Associates had the opportunity to participate in
the Retail Associate Satisfaction Survey.
Two years ago, the Board of Directors
determined that every other year our
Associates will participate in the Retail
Survey. On the off-year, each Member
would have the option whether or not to
administer the survey.
While the results from the
company-wide Associate survey in
2004 were very positive, the
Membership was challenged this year
to increase Associate participation in
the survey and to collectively work on
improving company communications,
one of the lower-scoring areas in the
previous survey. Members were also
asked to keep the action planning
process going in their stores. History has
proved that Associate Satisfaction must
be an ongoing process and not a once-ayear activity.
The 2006 results will be delivered to
the Members in mid-January 2007.
Members will receive the full reports
which include Associate and Customer
survey results, along with the verbatim
comments.
It is critical that all the results of the
surveys are shared with our Associates.
They will expect to review and begin
action planning based on the results.
As in previous years, the Associate and
Customer Satisfaction teams will
schedule meetings with Membership to
review your company-specific results.
Regional follow-up sessions will
commence in March, 2007. At
that time, we will review
the cooperative results
and help develop
cooperative-wide
actions plans to
continue to improve
the working
environment and overall satisfaction of our
Associates.
Stay tuned for future updates via e-mail
and through the Retail Human Resources
and Customer Satisfaction Committees.
If you wish to discuss Associate Satisfaction
within your company or store, feel free to
contact me at 732.906.5202 or
[email protected].
ShopRite Partners In Caring
Donates 30 Tons of Turkeys
By Karen Meleta
Director, Corporate Communications
Annual Thanksgiving donation to aid food banks in
five-state region served by ShopRite stores
ShopRite Partners In Caring continued
a holiday tradition that dates back to the
very first Thanksgiving, 285 years ago:
neighbors sharing with neighbors.
This program that helps fight hunger in
communities donated 30 tons of turkeys
to food banks and other charities
throughout New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut,
Delaware and
Pennsylvania. ShopRite trucks made the
first delivery of turkeys to the
Community FoodBank of New Jersey in
Hillside on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Turkeys
were distributed to through the food
bank network in time for Thanksgiving.
“Hunger is a year-round problem for
many of our neighbors in the
communities we serve, and ShopRite
Partners In Caring works to help them
throughout the year,” said Karen Meleta,
spokeswoman for ShopRite Partners In
Caring. “But the holidays are especially
tough for those experiencing difficulties
in their lives, and being able to help
them enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving
dinner is something all of us at ShopRite
are thankful for.”
Kathleen DiChiara, executive director of
the Community Food Bank of New
Jersey, said the need for food support is
greater than ever this year. “We anticipate
a very high demand for assistance this
coming holiday season, and have been
working to secure additional
contributions to make sure we’re able to
meet the rising need,” DiChiara said.
“ShopRite Partners In Caring’s generous
donation is a major part of our ability to
help those who are relying on our
support.”
(continued on next page)
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We are partners in caring for our neighbors’ families, homes and communities.
(continued from page 2)
Food banks receiving turkey donations
from ShopRite Partners In Caring were:
The Community FoodBank of New
Jersey, Hillside; The Mercer Street
Friends, Trenton, N.J.; NORWESCAP
Food Bank, Phillipsburg, N.J.; Food
Bank of Monmouth and Ocean
Counties, Neptune, N.J.; The
Community FoodBank (Southern
Branch), Egg Harbor, N.J.; Food Bank of
South Jersey, Pennsauken, N.J.; Food
Share, Windsor, Conn.; Connecticut
Food Bank, East Haven; Food Bank of
Hudson Valley, Cornwall-on-Hudson,
N.Y.; Long Island Cares, Hauppauge,
N.Y.; Food Patch, Millwood, N.Y.; Food
Bank for NYC, Bronx, N.Y.;
Philabundance, Philadelphia, Pa; 2nd
Harvest of Lehigh Valley and NEPA,
Allentown, Pa.; and Food Bank of
Delaware, Newark.
ShopRite Partners In Caring is a yearround, community-based, hungerfighting initiative that works with more
than 70 food industry manufacturers to
provide $2 million annually to qualified
charitable agencies in New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware,
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode
Island. Since its inception in 1999,
ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated
$13 million to more than 1,100 charities.
ShopRite Partners In Caring supports
emergency food pantries, soup kitchens,
homeless shelters, child care centers,
battered women's shelters, senior citizen
programs, drug rehab centers, programs
for the mentally and physically disabled,
after-school programs and other
organizations that aid those in need.
Wakefern Food Corporation Wins FMI’s 2006
“Maximizing People Potential” Award
By Lisa Day, Wakefern Human Resources Administrator
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
presented the 2006 Maximizing People
Potential Award (“MAXX Award”) to
Wakefern Food Corporation for the
company’s innovative community-based
“Partners in Training” program.
FMI presents the MAXX Award
annually to a retailer or wholesaler that
develops an important initiative to
improve the performance of employees
or leads to achievement of a key business
goal. This year, the award was presented
to Marty Glass, senior manager, Human
Resources, Wakefern, at FMI’s Human
Resources/Training & Development
Conference in Montreal, Canada.
Award submissions are judged on four
categories: workplace learning and
performance, return on investment,
involvement of company
leaders and originality.
Along with Wakefern,
the four finalists
included Hy-Vee, Inc.,
Bi-Lo/Bruno’s, LLC, and
Supervalu, Inc.
Conference attendees
voted and chose
“Partners in Training” as
the outstanding
program!
which they do business. Wakefern’s
program shows how successful
public/private partnerships have the ability
to change lives,” said Kimberly Roberts,
senior manager, education programs, FMI.
“Partners in Training” was established in
2000 and has over 100 graduates employed
by 15 ShopRite supermarkets, with a 76
percent retention rate among participants!
The training programs operate in Newark
and Stratford, N.J. and Wilmington, Del.
The partnership in Newark is with New
Community Corp. and the partnerships in
Stratford and Wilmington are with
Goodwill Industries. Wakefern hopes to
expand this successful program by
partnering with ABO Haven, Inc. and
opening an additional site in Philadelphia
next year!
“This program
demonstrates how FMI
members are working to
train employees and serve (L to R): Dean Janeway - President & COO, Wakefern Food
Corp., Marty Glass - Sr. Manager, Human Resources, Wakefern
the communities in
Food Corp., Ted Van Name - President, Goodwill Industries of
Delaware and Delaware County, Ernie Bell - Vice President
Human Resources & Corporate Planning, Wakefern Food Corp.,
Joseph Colalillo - Chairman & CEO, Wakefern Food Corp., Chris
Kenny, Esquire - General Counsel & Director of Human
Resources, The Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware
Photo taken at the official grand opening celebration of the
Delaware Partners in Training site on June 22, 2006
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We are partners in caring for our neighbors’ families, homes and communities.
Ignoring Sexual Harassment Just Got More Expensive: 5 Tips To Prevent Lawsuits
By Judith Lindenberger, Principal, The Lindenberger Group
My first job after graduate school was
working for the federal government in the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
A few months into the job, a woman air
traffic controller sued her boss and coworkers in the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) for creating an
offensive, intimidating and hostile work
environment at the tune of $1 million.
She alleged that they sent pornographic
photos across the screen of her computer
while she was monitoring the safety of
airplanes in flight and during landings.
OPM mandated sexual harassment
training for all supervisors and managers
in the FAA and I designed and conducted
the first-ever sexual harassment training
for federal employees. That was in the
1980s. Fast forward twenty years and the
workplace is still rampant with sexual
harassment claims and lawsuits.
On January 9, 2006, the largest sexual
harassment lawsuit ever, at $1 billion, was
filed in Manhattan against Dresdner
Klienwort Wasserstein Services, the
American branch of Dresdner Bank of
Germany. The complaint cites lewd
behavior toward women, entertainment of
clients at a strip club, and examples of
reduced opportunities for women who
returned to the job after maternity leave.
This suit makes it clear that sexual
harassment occurs in all types of
companies and at all levels of business.
Sexual harassment in the workplace
presents an ongoing and growing risk to
businesses operating in the United States.
From a purely business perspective, an
organization stands to gain if it acts
proactively. Not only is it
the right thing to
do, it is the smart thing to do. Here are five
tips for eliminating sexual harassment in
the workplace.
1. Act before a problem occurs. Failure
to adopt a proactive and aggressive
stance on sexual harassment in the
workplace can result not only in costly
lawsuits (averaging $250,000 not
including legal fees), but also in loss of
employee morale, decline in
productivity, and an erosion of an
organization's public image. It is much
less expensive to implement sexual
harassment policies and training than it
is to be involved in one sexual
harassment lawsuit.
2. Implement policies. 2005 brought two
high-profile cases involving women
who were deemed "too sexy" for their
jobs. Harvard librarian Desiree
Goodwin, who holds two advanced
degrees from Cornell University,
charged that she was passed over for
promotion 16 times because of her
attire and physical attractiveness.
Meanwhile, Caterina Bonci, a Roman
Catholic religion teacher, said she was
fired from her job at a state-run school
for being too sexy. Include sexual
harassment, discrimination and dress
code policies in your employee manual.
3. Educate employees. The Supreme
Court has made it clear that training
employees about sexual
harassment is one of the ways to
protect your organization in a
lawsuit. Educate employees about
company policies, train supervisors
to deal with complaints, and provide
all employees with clear examples
of inappropriate behavior.
4. Make it safe to voice complaints.
Provide a reporting system and
make all employees aware of it.
The law prohibits employers from
retaliating against an individual for
filing or supporting charges of
discrimination. Train leaders how
to listen and respond appropriately
to discrimination complaints.
5. Hold leaders accountable to
model your company values.
When leaders fail to live up to your
organization values, employees
become de-motivated and angry.
Provide ongoing training, coaching
and review of your leaders.
The Lindenberger Group provides
consulting and training (classroom and
online) on compliance training, human
resources and leadership.
Copyright © 2006 by The Lindenberger Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Philly Block Party
On October 28, the Colligas Family ShopRite in Philadelphia threw a block party
celebrating the completion of a mural on its wall. It was a big community event
complete with mummers, pumpkin painting, food, music, dancing, characters, and
festivities. Earlier, folks in
the neighborhood were
invited to vote on the
mural that they would like
to see in their community.
There were a total of 1,700
votes!
The winning mural, by
artist Jim Burns, represents
the culture, history and
community spirit of South
Philly. The mural is
sponsored by Colligas
Family ShopRite, Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and The Goldenberg Group
(building owner). Our event was the Mural Arts Program's first stop on a mural tour
of the city. It can be seen from I-95!
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We are partners in caring for our neighbors’ families, homes and communities.