By Sarah Dahl 195 March-April 2018 It’s hard to understand how something as benevolent as paying a living wage could cause resentment within the workforce. With over half (29) of states and an additional 39 localities mandating a minimum wage higher than the legal threshold of $7.25, more co-ops are attempting to provide a living wage for their lowest-paid employees. While this is a [...]
By Sarah Dahl 191 July-August 2017 No one is a perfect communicator, and no co-op experiences completely effective communication at all times. While some co-ops may do better than others—at least as reported in more than 200 staff surveys conducted by CDS Consulting Co-op—communication issues are nearly always on the list of things that staff want to see improved. While communication issues can be as [...]
The concept of emotional intelligence is now part of popular culture. Just as we each have an IQ or Intelligence Quotient that measures cognitive ability, some social scientists say we have an EQ or Emotional Quotient. Emotional intelligence (EI) can be defined as the ability to recognize your own and others’ emotions, and to manage your emotions and relationships effectively. You can see right [...]
By Melanie Reid 186 Sept-Oct 2016 As co-ops evolve and expand and our industry continuously changes, it’s important that we have mechanisms in place that enable employees to see career pathways within our organizations. Opportunities to learn new things and grow within the organization are important for everyone on the co-op staff roster. If their training ends after 90 days, you probably have some [...]
Your new store will have a bigger deli, more parking and a better floor plan. But will it have the staffing to support bigger and better operations? You will have a strong staffing plan to match your expansion plan if you remember a few key guidelines: First and most importantly, everyone has to be clear on where the organization is going and why, in [...]
Look around your management team meeting. Is everyone engaged in the conversation? Or are they looking at their phones as the meeting winds its way through a parade of topics or check-ins? We invest payroll and time in these meetings, so let’s make sure that we leverage that investment into a valuable and productive use of time. It’s good for the organization and for [...]
Sean Doyle is the general manager of Seward Community Co-op, a rapidly growing food co-op in Minneapolis, MN. Doyle is an energetic advocate for staff empowerment, and in this video he makes the case that greater co-op participation is enhanced when people are engaged in a workplace where the values of cooperation are in place and part of every workday. “When we talk [...]
It happens all the time. Co-workers get attracted to each other and next thing you know…. Workplace romances can impact the productivity and morale of the protagonists and their co-workers. That impact is greater still when a supervisor and subordinate are involved. It happens all the time. Co-workers get attracted to each other and next thing you know…. Workplace romances can impact the productivity [...]
Sean Doyle, General Manager Seward Community Cooperative, Twin Cities, MN Sean shares his perspective as a St. Mary's Graduate and long-time GM on how to invigorate the co-op culture at your store. In brief: It starts with investing in staff.
"One bad apple spoils the barrel." Intuitively we know this maxim is true. Research at the University of Washington Business School affirms it. Will Felps, Terence Mitchell and Eliza Byington defined three types of bad apples: • Slackers who don't do their share of the work • Perennially unhappy pessimists • Mean-spirited bullies The researchers found that team members will first try moral suasion [...]
