Canadian Retailer - Winter 2014 - 36

PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE

Retention through inclusion

More to offer

Wilson says another key to getting the
best and keeping them is involving them in
building the corporate culture. Loblaw has
an initiative called Diversity Champions.
Employees can volunteer to work with an
executive sponsor on an idea for improving
diversity, and make recommendations for
leadership to adopt.
The retailer also has a Women@Loblaw
program that assists women in building their
careers through networking, and it is launching an LGBT group as well.
Staples, meanwhile, also offers a store
leadership development program that includes training and development, as well as
mentoring. Its Staples Advantage program
also allows employees to learn other parts
of the business, while e-learning is offered
to both full-time and part-time employees.
Hourly employees also receive two performance reviews a year.
It has also formed partnerships with companies such as Bell, Sleep Country and Soft
Moc to offer employee discounts that allow it
to bolster its overall rewards without a large
additional cost.

Elsewhere across the country, employers such as Mountain
Equipment Co-op are offering ongoing development through
subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation, as well as
flexible hours, telecommuting and compressed work weeks.
In Manitoba, Birchwood Automotive Group offers, among
other classes, an eight-week course on management essentials and lunch with a senior executive on their 90th day of
employment to discuss their experience.
Purdys Chocolatier, meanwhile, trains employees as
'Chocolate Experts' through its Purdys' Chocolate University
program, and offers a "Manager on the Bench" program to
develop future leaders.
Whatever the initiative, the key is communication, says
Regan Stewart, Vice-President of People and Culture at
Knightsbridge. She says total rewards need to "make sense"
to employees and they need to see the overall value.
"The key thing is not to do it in an HR bubble. It's important to link culture to business strategy and involve others as
well," she says.
However, the bottom line is passion, says Crawford. Employers with high engagement are doing a better job of finding employees with passion or offering training that instills
it and aligns them with the organization's values.
"You're more likely to work hard and commit yourself
where there are good managers and where you're passionate
about what you do," he says.

Celebrate your company's greatest achievements.
Apply for one of the 10 retail-specific categories
* Corporate & Social
Responsibility
* E-Commerce
* Energy & Environmental
Sustainability
* Health, Safety & Wellness
* In-Store Merchandising

* Loss Prevention
* Marketing &
Communications
* Store Design
* Talent Development
* Technology

For more information and to register visit
www.storeconference.ca/era
#ERA14
36 |

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Canadian Retailer - Winter 2014

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