Author: Site Staff

The following charts from the Food Marketing Institute show:

    Turnover Among All Store Employees
    Turnover Among Full-time Employees
    Turnover Among Part-time Employees

    The data comes from supermarkets in the United States, generally defined as retail food stores with at least $2 million in annual sales.

Median of Average Turnover Rate for All Store Employees
	Median	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	Number Participating
All Companies	47.4%	28.8%	67.8%	67
Annual Sales
Under $10 million	35.0	15.0	67.8	13
$10.1 – $50 million	37.5	17.7	54.2	20
$50.1 – $100 million	—	—	—	3
$100.1 – $500 million	48.7	40.4	58.0	14
$500.1 million – $1 billion	47.5	44.8	78.0	7
$1.1 – $5 billion	53.0	51.5	64.2	8
Over $5 billion	—	—	—	2
Number of Stores Operated
1 Store	24.5	13.0	60.0	26
2 – 10 Stores	52.8	40.0	77.2	14
11 – 100 Stores	47.5	40.4	63.0	18
101+ Stores	54.1	51.9	65.6	9
Independents (1 – 10 stores)	40.0	20.2	68.7	40
Chains (11+ stores)	51.9	44.0	65.6	27
(–) Data for questions answered by three or less companies were deleted to ensure anonymity.

Median of Average Turnover Rate for Full-Time Store Employees
	Median	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	Number Participating
All Companies	13.3%	5.1%	21.0%	62
Annual Sales
Under $10 million	7.0	0.0	12.5	12
$10.1 – $50 million	13.7	5.0	22.0	17
$50.1 – $100 million	—	—	—	3
$100.1 – $500 million	17.0	10.0	22.9	13
$500.1 million – $1 billion	12.9	6.9	28.0	7
$1.1 – $5 billion	18.4	13.5	31.5	8
Over $5 billion	—	—	—	2
Number of Stores Operated
1 Store	9.0	0.7	15.6	25
2 – 10 Stores	10.4	10.0	21.0	11
11 – 100 Stores	16.0	11.4	28.0	17
101+ Stores	17.7	12.7	19.1	9
Independents (1 – 10 stores)	10.0	3.0	17.8	36
Chains (11+ stores)	16.9	11.4	28.0	26
(–) Data for questions answered by three or less companies were deleted to ensure anonymity.

Median of Average Turnover Rate for Part-Time Store Employees
	Median	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	Number Participating
All Companies	58.0%	30.0%	82.3%	61
Annual Sales
Under $10 million	25.0	9.0	46.5	11
$10.1 – $50 million	44.0	14.6	58.0	17
$50.1 – $100 million	—	—	—	3
$100.1 – $500 million	63.0	53.2	90.2	13
$500.1 million – $1 billion	68.1	54.1	119.0	7
$1.1 – $5 billion	76.7	62.3	94.9	8
Over $5 billion	—	—	—	2
Number of Stores Operated
1 Store	25.5	6.6	53.4	24
2 – 10 Stores	58.2	48.2	115.0	11
11 – 100 Stores	63.0	53.2	90.2	17
101+ Stores	82.3	70.9	84.7	9
Independents (1 – 10 stores)	44.0	19.0	61.6	35
Chains (11+ stores)	71.0	53.7	90.2	26
(–) Data for questions answered by three or less companies were deleted to ensure anonymity.

Use the following to conduct a basic assessment of your organization’s current level of safety and security preparedness.

For each statement, circle a score from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest (1 means nothing is currently in place; 3 means it exists but it needs improvement; 5 means it fully meets needs).

    Total your score for each of the four sections and enter the score on the final page of this assessment to calculate your overall score.

---

1. Facilities and Life Safety Systems	Low		High
Our building is equipped with life safety systems including: emergency lighting, a fire suppression system, fire extinguishers, fire alarm system.	1	2	3	4	5
A system is in place to ensure regular (no less than annual) inspections to identify and correctstructural and nonstructural hazards.	1	2	3	4	5
We have organized and trained emergency response teams (ERTs).	1	2	3	4	5
Our organization maintains and regularly inventories and updates emergency supplies and equipment.	1	2	3	4	5
Our organization has a written emergency preparedness and response plan that includes procedures to follow when disasters occur.	1	2	3	4	5
A printed copy of the organization’s emergency procedures is provided to each employee.	1	2	3	4	5
Emergency procedures are posted in all public areas of the building(s), e.g., reception area, conference rooms, coffee rooms.	1	2	3	4	5
Total score for Section 1
2. Security	Low		High
We have physical security measures in place that include access control of employees and visitors.	1	2	3	4	5
A policy that no doors are to be propped open at any time is strictly enforced.	1	2	3	4	5
Our organization has a policy that requires employees to sign out and sign back in any equipment that is taken from the building.	1	2	3	4	5
A policy has been adopted and is enforced that requires all visitors to sign in and be escorted at all times.	1	2	3	4	5
Our organization has established and enforces a zero tolerance policy that requires that any and all violent actions or threats of violence will be reported.	1	2	3	4	5
We have security guards on site during business hours.	1	2	3	4	5
An exterior lighting system provides sufficient lighting for walkways and parking areas.	1	2	3	4	5
Total score for Section 2
3. Training	Low		High
Our organization provides new employee orientation and refresher training for all employees in life safety and security procedures (e.g., evacuation, bomb threats, medical emergencies).	1	2	3	4	5
Training in CPR, first aid, and use of fire extinguishers is made available to employees.	1	2	3	4	5
We have an established schedule of emergency training, drills, and exercise	1	2	3	4	5
A full evacuation drill is conducted twice annually.	1	2	3	4	5
Mailroom staff are trained and equipped to handle suspicious mail and packages.	1	2	3	4	5
Front desk personnel have been trained to recognize and handle suspicious letters and packages.	1	2	3	4	5
Safety, security, and emergency updates and briefings are a regular part of departmental staff meetings.	1	2	3	4	5
Total score for Section 3
4. Front Desk Preparedness
The front desk is positioned and the front desk area is arranged to provide an unobstructed view of doorways and of those coming and going.	1	2	3	4	5
Emergency contact numbers (public safety agencies, internal security staff) are readily available at the front desk and reviewed for accuracy not less than quarterly	1	2	3	4	5
A flashlight and extra batteries are kept at the front desk.	1	2	3	4	5
A portable radio and extra batteries are kept at the front desk.	1	2	3	4	5
Front desk personnel have been trained to handle telephone bomb threats.	1	2	3	4	5
There is a mechanism in place at the front desk, e.g., panic button, silent alarm, for covertly calling for help in a threatening or potentially dangerous situation.	1	2	3	4	5
Code words have been established to alert security or other personnel should there be a need for immediate assistance at the front desk.	1	2	3	4	5
Total score for Section 4
	Actual Total/Possible Total
Transfer the total score from each section:
1. Facilities	/35
2. Security	/35
3. Training	/35
4. Front Desk Preparedness	/35
OVERALL SCORE	/140

   After completing this assessment, list some of the areas needing the most improvement. Identify items that could be addressed relatively quickly and easily to increase your organization’s level of preparedness.

    Discuss the results of this assessment and your suggestions for improvements with others in your organization who are involved in safety and security planning or who may support developing improved or new plans and procedures.

Reprinted from Front Desk Security & Safety, Betty A. Kildow, CBCP, FBCI, © 2004, all rights reserved.

The new CEO at Chiquita, Fernando Aguirre, had been told by the board of directors to “put in place a strong leadership team for the future” of the Cincinnati produce company. Aguirre has already made one move. At a January 13 employee meeting, he said, “To make good decisions, we need the right people and the right systems in place. For that reason, one of the first changes I’m making is to have our vice president of human resources, Barry Morris, and our interim chief information officer, Paul Merrick, report directly to me. In the end, we are a business of people, and it’s essential to retain, coach and develop talent. To support our people, we need the right systems and resources to help us achieve our strategy. As CEO, I want to be closely involved in our HR and IT decisions.”

Aurora Health Care is saving about $1 million a year by using “float pools,” or an internal pool of nurses, rather than an agency to plug staffing gaps, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Covenant Healthcare has saved about $500,000 by using an internal pool. Meanwhile, The Record in Stockton, California, reports that the new patient-nurse ratio law in California has caused the nursing shortage to spread. Now, not only are hospitals short of nurses, but staffing agencies are as well. Carol Farron, community development director for Lodi Memorial Hospital, says the law “couldn’t have come at a worse time for us.”

Dear Two-Party HR:



Here is the policy on political contributions that we include in the base code that we provide to clients.

Political Activity
Objective

The company strongly supports employee involvement in the politics of their communities. We encourage and support individual activities that involve political parties, candidates, or issues.

The company will provide information on its political activities and share its viewpoint with employees, customers, and the general public. We respect anyone’s right to disagree with our official company positions regarding political preferences.

Overview
Many state laws prohibit or limit contributions by companies to political parties or candidates. Federal law prohibits contributions to candidates for federal office. With certain limitations, companies may contribute to national political parties.

Since the laws and regulations governing political activities and political contributions are complex and diverse, employees cannot make any contribution, or loan, or give other support (in the form of money or anything of value) to any political party or candidate for public office on behalf of the company without advance approval from the appropriate department(s).

Use of company resources such as a copier, phone, or fax machine to promote a candidate is considered to be a political contribution and is also prohibited. Employees are expected to follow company guidelines to avoid violating any laws and regulations concerning political activities and political contributions.

Employees must:

• Make it clear, when expressing individual political views, that they are individual personal views and not those of the company.
  
• Get approval from the appropriate department head when making contributions to political candidates in the name of the company.
  
• Get approval to perform political activities on company time or to use company resources. (Resources include but are not limited to: photocopy machines, computers, and phones.)
  
• Notify the appropriate person/department when making plans to campaign for, or serve in, a public office.
  
• Avoid conflicts of interest when serving in public office by excusing oneself from any political matters involving the company.
  

We have found this to be a good balance between the right of a company to have a political position and respecting employees’ rights to their own views, but not to further those views on the company’s time or nickel.

SOURCE: David Gebler, president, Skout Group LLC,Sharon, Massachusetts

LEARN MORE: ReadIn Uneasy Times, HR Renews its Peacekeeping Mission.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Ask a Question

Dear Workforce Newsletter

Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, 30 years old, was just honored as the Executive of the Year for Major League Baseball. Epstein was named GM at 28, the youngest in baseball history, and has been instrumental in making Boston competitive with the New York Yankees. Epstein’s success is due partly to his scientific approach to talent, according to Lifestyles magazine. First, he uses statistical analysis to determine a player’s potential. Next, he analyzes the ballplayer’s personality. “Many talented players can undo everything with their behavior,” he says. “I believe a team’s chemistry can’t be overrated.” He also uses recently retired players to help evaluate talent, since they have such a keen eye for what goes on between the base paths.

Uncorrected “computer vision” can have a significant impact on a company’s productivity, according to a study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and published in the January issue of the American Optometric Association’s journal. A miscorrection of as little as .5 diopter–two “clicks” in a patient’s eye exam–can affect productivity by approximately 9 percent. The employer of an individual with a salary of $60,000 a year would experience a drop in productivity of $5,400.

Dear Idealistic:



A situation where the manager receives less of an incentive than subordinates is the exception rather than the rule. Generally, when you do find this situation, it will be in an organization’s sales group. Such plans typically do not have capped awards and are designed to drive profitable revenue performance. The primary advantage of a plan where participants can earn more than their boss is that the plan can successfully support high levels of performance.

You had better have sufficient rationale for this or you will have a very difficult time recruiting anyone into the department manager role. Many incentive plans provide increasing target awards as you move higher in the organization. Regardless of how the award levels are set, the fundamental principle at work here is risk and reward. As you move higher in the organization, the level of responsibility increases, and with it the impact on the organization (that is, the risk).

Thus under risk/reward, higher level employees typically accept more risk and therefore have commensurately greater reward opportunity. The market usually bears this out when you examine total cash compensation survey data for positions.

It also is common, however, for target award opportunities to be set equally across different groups and levels of participants in a plan. You will find this in team-based incentive arrangements, such as gain-sharing and goal-sharing incentive plans. They are constructed under the premise that all members of the work group, team, or facility should share equally in any gains resulting from their efforts. This type of plan can take many forms, but can be found in organizations that want to support a culture of teamwork and sharing of business success.

SOURCE: Robert Fulton, managing director,The Pathfinder’s Group, Inc., an affiliate of The Chatfield Group, Chicago, Illinois, Jan. 31, 2003

LEARN MORE: ReadIncentives and the Art of Changing Behavior.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

Ask a Question

Dear Workforce Newsletter

“It is undeniable that Monster, HotJobs and other recruitment verticals have gained a strong foothold in the recruitment war,” reports Borrell Associates. However, the company says, “this war is far from over.” The company suggests that newspapers make their site designs simpler and more friendly to employers. Borrell estimates that newspaper-owned online recruitment sites will generate $354 million in 2003.

“Compensation is on the rise for Indian IT employees,” according to Information Week. This could mean American companies will send more offshore jobs to other countries, such as China. Also: On last Sunday night’s 60 Minutes, Morley Safer said that “India is Nirvana” to many American employers. Indian employees were shown in classrooms learning to understand American expressions such as “you’re yanking my chain.”