STORES Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 38)

EXECUTIVE SUITE / COVER STORY guests have rewarded us for that,” Graves says. The company has received substantial feedback from guests indicating that the care showed to its employees separates Burgerville from the pack. “Many guests have written to us saying that it is this sort of program that keeps them committed to the Burgerville brand,” Graves says. “I’ve got the e-mails to prove it.” Company: FINISH LINE Headquarters: Indianapolis Employees: 13,000 Retention Strategy: Hire Efficiently inish Line executives know a thing or two about winning. When it comes to hiring associates, the game plan is simple: pick the right people and give them the tools they need to learn. Still, there’s a secret to the company’s winning ways that’s not so simple: Executives have a keen understanding of Generation Y, and they’ve developed recruiting and training initiatives that are in step with the values and expectations of this youthful demographic. “You have to understand the generation you’re looking to recruit,” says Mike Marchetti, executive vice president of store operations. “If you’re waiting for today’s young people to come into the store and fill out an application, you’ll be wait“People who ing for a long time. Close to 90 are productive percent of our applications come by way of the Internet.” tend to be happier The footwear retailer also and stay longer.” maintains relationships with — Mike Marchetti student organizations at both high school and college levels, including DECA, Students in Free Enterprise and Delta Epsilon Chi. Recruitment is only the first step; finding associates who will be a good fit is vital to lifting retention rates, too. Using Kronos’ Workforce Acquisition tool, executives at the 700-store chain are able to identify the most suitable applicants. The software relies on a series of questions to assess key behavioral traits. The most important for Finish Line is productivity. “People who are productive tend to be happier and stay longer,” Marchetti says. Every employee who applies for a job goes through this as- F sessment. Each application is scored according to numerous criteria, and store managers are notified of pre-qualified candidates. “The software provides our managers with a more structured way to go through the interview and hiring processes,“ Marchetti says. “By scoring applications according to scientifically proven criteria refined over several years, we’re able to eliminate applications that don’t measure up before we’ve made any sort of investment in hiring or training. It saves store managers hundreds of hours previously spent on interviewing and onboarding candidates who are not a good fit.” Marchetti won’t reveal the company’s actual retention rates, but he notes that Finish Line continues to see improvement annually — no small feat considering they’ve partnered with Kronos (and its predecessor, Unicru) for more than seven years. 38 STORES / OCTOBER 2008 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - October 2008

STORES Magazine - October 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Force of a Different Collar What Shoppers Think Bagging the Competition 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Favorite 50 Sticky Strategies for Retention Concept2Watch Kiosks Online Business Intelligence RFID NRFtech Wrap-up E-Commerce Credit Warehouse Systems Logistics Selling Tools Supply Chain LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - October 2008

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