Your Underutilized Problem Solvers
By Michael Lorden
The employee steering committee -- while a scary prospect for some -- can help operators cost effectively address some of the most troublesome and challenging aspects of running a foodservice business.
Understandably, some operators fear employees will tell them things that they don't necessarily want to hear. But the fact remains that store-level employees project a company's corporate image (positive or negative), control sales performance and operational efficiency and directly affect profitability. So why not hear them out in a structured and strategic forum? They could be some of your best problem solvers.
I recently had the privilege of working with the Minit Stop convenience store chain, which formed an employee steering committee (ESC) to address a host of specific store-level issues regarding the work environment. The main objective of the project was to develop a sustainable incentive and benefits program to motivate and empower employees at all levels to improve performance and encourage advancement within the organization.
"The employee steering committee meetings clarified what's meaningful to all levels of our employees and the internal 'intel' we collected was the main driver behind developing our new incentive programs," said Kim Robello, merchandise manager who is also responsible for the foodservice operation. "The ESC program created tremendous buzz throughout our network of stores and resulted in enthusiastic buy-in when the finished program was presented to our employees."
Nearly all of the chain's 12 stores -- operated by Kahului, Hawaii-based Maui Petroleum -- include the company's proprietary Maui Fried Chicken, which enjoys high brand recognition and loyalty from customers who view it as superior to many of the national brands available in the Hawaiian islands.
Although the chain deals with many of the same operational challenges that plague its mainland counterparts, it struggles with additional issues; the Hawaiian Islands have extremely low unemployment coupled with a very high cost of living, which means it's difficult to retain workers without paying high wages.
By implementing the ESC model described below, Minit Stop's management team recently unveiled its new programs to rave reviews from its employees, primarily because they look the time to listen to employees' perspectives, concerns and ideas.
Getting Started
How can you employ ESCs in your own organization? The following are some basic guidelines to consider, keeping in mind that the size of your organization will dictate the size and scope of your ESC.
* Topics for ESC discussion, written surveys and evaluations should be chosen carefully and reflect a blend of the management team's stated challenges as well as employees' concerns. The ultimate goal is to generate free-flowing, accurate intelligence that can be used to adjust, update or even redesign the work environment to be more rewarding, collaborative and, of course, profitable.
* Your ESC must be focused on and comprised of store-level employees, whose ideas and recommendations are collected and compiled by the ESC leader and presented to the field-level management team. This middle management group then reviews the ideas and makes a final recommendation to the executive management team. Avoid too many levels of review, which will dilute communication and distort the employees' message.
* Timeliness is crucial to demonstrate to ESC members that their ideas and recommendations are being considered and acted upon swiftly. This process should take no longer than three to four months from the first store-level ESC meeting to the ultimate executive management rollout of the approved and/or adjusted ideas.
* The ESC membership at store level should represent a mix of titles, responsibilities and tenure. When recruiting ESC members, avoid over populating with top performers because you want the information gathered to represent all types of employees -- the weak, the strong and the disenfranchised.
* ESC recruiting is one of the easiest tasks. You'll have no shortage of participants ready, willing and able to provide input once they have received clear communication outlining corporate management's desire to evaluate, adjust and ultimately improve the employee work environment.
* Choose a qualified ESC leader who has the ability to conduct the meetings, communicate the corporate message and, most important, be able to interpret, filter and summarize the ideas and recommendations forwarded by the ESC without prejudice. You also want a leader who can be impartial and non-threatening, and who understands your business.
Before launching your first scheduled meeting, the ESC leader should interview the corporate management team to ensure that the desired message, goals, timeline, roles and responsibilities and ESC support structures are in place and clearly defined. Any conflict at this level must be addressed and rectified before proceeding with the program.
Michael Lorden is COO of ALM Business Media Inc., the parent company of On-the-Go Foodservice. With 25 years of retail, foodservice and consulting experience, Lorden also is an entrepreneur who developed, operated and eventually sold three retail businesses. You can reach Mike at mlorden@OnTheGoFoodservice.com