, employees have to do a little bit of everything during any given shift. To keep the Co-op convenience stores and neighborhood markets running smoothly, staffers may accept deliveries, unpack boxes of groceries, flowers, and household items, stock the shelves, clean up spills, or run the registers, all while welcoming customers. New hires need the qualifications to do it all.“It’s hard work,” says Yvonne Foster, head of resourcing services for the Co-op.
The company supports local charities like the Glasgow Eco Trust, which teaches children how to repair and maintain their bicycles, sharing 1% of profits with nonprofits selected by employees.In 2017, to place the right people in their food stores and to keep up with the company’s growth, Foster launched a new approach to recruiting employees, who the company refers to as “colleagues.”
First, Foster, store managers, and other company leaders defined “What Great Looks Like,” spelling out those hard-to-define characteristics of the ideal store worker. Energetic, responsible, even-tempered, and friendly all made the list. Also ideal: people who like forging relationships, working on a team, looking out for one another, and who don’t mind working on their feet all day.
Not surprisingly, the posters-and-Post-it notes approach to recruiting was imprecise. The most basic job information like shift hours and pay rate was often missing. And most would-be candidates would never see those job vacancy notices. Foster knew she would need to both standardize the messaging of the job announcements and broaden their reach.
Co-op Food Stores now have an offer acceptance rate of 98%, showing great progress in targeting the best-fit candidates.She set up a team of 30 recruiters and named the function the Colleague Resourcing Service. Foster tasked the new group with supporting hiring managers in their quest to find ideal new hires while giving job candidates an enjoyable hiring experience.
Oracle Find agreeable people.