Why Are Female General Managers Paid Less Than Men?
Our examination of the compensation database revealed that grocery co-op General Managers who identify as female are paid significantly less than their male counterparts. Here's what the data says.
Internalized Sexism in the Grocery Co-op World
To find out why the General Manager Compensation Database tells a story of accelerating pay inequity, Carolee Colter interviewed 30 female co-op GMs to learn more about their experiences. She uncovered some common themes.
Compensation Database: History and Future
The Compensation Database is woefully out of date when it comes to gender and equity identifiers. Columinate is creating a new version scheduled to be introduced in April 2021. Here's what features will be added to improve the database.
Where are Black Female Leaders? Challenging the Gender and Race Bias in Grocery Cooperatives
The Columinate study of the Cooperative General Manager Compensation Database has uncovered another issue. The data set exposes the racial bias within the cooperative food spaces.
Re-Energize your Co-op Culture
There are over 40,000 co-ops operating in the USA employing almost 1 million people. Few of those employees have had any formal training on the cooperative business model. This brief “chatinar” led by Columinate consultant Adam Schwartz is designed to introduce you and your colleagues to some of the key steps organizations can take to ensure you are using your cooperative structure as a [...]
Hiring a General Manager
Updated in 2017-18, this manual is the result of a collaboration between Columinate and National Co+op Grocers. It guides boards of directors of food cooperatives through the steps needed to ensure a clear and professional process, resulting in the hiring of a well-qualified manager. Those steps are: Arrange for interim management Set up a committee to coordinate the hiring process (the Search Committee) Define [...]
It Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely at the Top
When I became general manager of Outpost Natural Foods in 1986, I had already been working at the co-op for seven years doing ordering, receiving, merchandising, marketing, managing, and assisting the general manager (GM) with board work. So naturally that made me the prime candidate for the GM job, since I was already skilled in operations, right? I sure had hoped the answer to [...]
Responding to Workplace Conflicts and Employee Concerns
Boards of directors want to know that co-op staff are fairly treated and that the co-op has a good reputation as an employer. General managers need the authority to carry out board policy, and that authority includes holding staff accountable for performance and making decisions that may not be popular with all staff. These goals are not mutually exclusive. Fairness, accountability, and unpopularity can [...]
Nurturing Inclusion and Diversity on Staff
The Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op (TPSS) in Takoma Park, Maryland is a cooperative that is known for its diversity and inclusion among staff and customers. Currently, 48 employees from 20 countries work at the food co-op. Creating an atmosphere of welcome and exchange is something that they continually work on.
Training for soft skills
Yes, you can teach empathy, rapport and authenticity to your staff. Even those who join your staff with a high degree of these “soft skills” can still improve them through training. Brittany Baird is my colleague at CDS Consulting Co-op whose area of expertise lies in linking financial success to the everyday decisions we make on the sales floor of a natural foods business. [...]