Hiring the Right Employees for Your Grocery Store
During the coronavirus pandemic, grocery stores have been considered an essential business—an establishment that’s permitted to stay open to the public, despite the nationwide lockdown. In a time when mass layoffs have hit countless industries, grocery stores remain one of the few that can continue bringing on new staff. According to research from Chron, grocery store employee turnover hovers around 39 percent; and the cost to replace that position? About 75 to 150 percent of that role’s annual salary. While it’s critical to bring on great employees, you also need to make sure they’re in it for the long haul. Today, we’ll talk through the steps you can take to ensure you’re hiring the right employees for your grocery store.
Personality Perfection
When it comes to retail, your employees are key to securing repeat business. Customer retention is in direct relation to positive customer service, which stems from your staff. You want to hire candidates that are friendly, pleasant, and know the ins and outs of a great customer service experience. How to determine this? Many hiring managers will have their prospects take a personality quiz to gauge their fit in the business.
You’ll also want to ensure you’re asking the right interview questions. How does the candidate feel about working with a team? How would the applicant handle an unhappy customer? What if he/she didn’t get along with a colleague—how would they address the situation?
Your employees are the face of your grocery store, and they’re the ones contributing to the pleasant atmosphere your guests are looking for. Do everything you can to properly vet their personalities beforehand.
Be Transparent
A lot of us are on high alert when it comes to navigating public spaces in the midst of COVID-19. While vaccinations are beginning to roll out, there is still a need to exercise caution around public health. Even if your candidates don’t inquire about your business’s safety protocols, be upfront about them. Provide transparency on what’s expected of your employees when they come to work. Will you be providing PPE? What happens if an employee contracts COVID? What are your sick leave policies? The clearer you are when setting expectations, the less surprises there will be, and the less likely your new staffers will be to drop out of the running.
Onboarding is Key
The process of ramping up a new employee and getting them settled into their new role can be arduous. And that first day of work can sometimes make or break a new hire’s willingness to come back. It’s important, pandemic or not, to have a successful onboarding process outlined and established. Take things into consideration such as, what can new employees do remotely versus what needs to be done in-person? How will they get to know their coworkers? Who will be providing training? Is there a manual they can study at home? Your more established, senior employees should have newcomers shadow them in the first few weeks. The quicker a new hire becomes comfortable in her role, the easier it is for your business to continue succeeding (without missing a beat).