Open lines of communication
equal success for SEG鈥檚 frontline
Southeastern Grocers is one of the largest brick-and-mortar grocers in the US, with over 400 stores and 35,000 associates organization-wide. Despite the complexities of their diverse and dispersed workforce, their recent 鈥渃ulture transformation鈥 to re-engage an increasingly skeptical workforce has earned them a Great Place to Work certification and has even inspired a case study by the Harvard School of Business.
How do they maintain their success? Keeping their frontline highly informed with timely and relevant communications is a big factor.
鈥淲e know that our associates work really hard on the sales floor in our stores, and it can be very challenging to reach them,鈥 says Claudia Lara, Sr. Manager of Content Design and Development at Southeastern Grocers. 鈥淲ith 羞羞视频鈥檚 broadcast messages, we are able to get in touch with our associates whenever we need, and we can reach every single one of them.鈥
Now Southeastern Grocers鈥 associates are more engaged and connected than ever, openly sharing honest and constructive feedback with their team leaders about how to better serve their customers.
More than just another LMS
When they first partnered with 羞羞视频, Southeastern Grocers鈥 goal was to use the platform to help fulfill their hefty onboarding, regulatory, leadership and soft skill training needs. But they quickly realized a value beyond checking training boxes: communication.
鈥淥ne of the very important needs that 羞羞视频 helps us with aside from training is communication,鈥 states Lara. 鈥淚t has been a key factor and the main tool that we have used to communicate with our associates. With an open channel for asking for and receiving feedback, we have been able to establish certain points and get information that is very valuable.鈥
They鈥檝e put an end to bulletin board updates and the broken telephone dynamic for good, so their employees get the right messages and updates on the devices they use every day. Associates log into 羞羞视频 during every shift, making it the perfect place to share new information鈥攐r ask for it.
鈥淭wice a year, we send a survey that is called 鈥榃e are listening鈥 via broadcast messages. Associates are very generous with their feedback and letting us know what they want, what they would like to see, what they don鈥檛 like. And we have used that information to transform our culture as a result. Leadership trust has gone from 59 to 89 per cent. Our culture transformation is now a case study in the Harvard School of Business. And we鈥檝e been certified as a Great Place to Work.鈥
Any feedback is good feedback
Southeastern Grocers鈥 associates are the face of their organization, interacting with customers and living the realities of the grocery frontline day-to-day. So they鈥檙e a great resource to learn from about what鈥檚 next in the industry.
鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 very important to be connected with our associates and to listen loudly, ask for feedback. Of course, you are always wanting and expecting positive feedback, but even if it鈥檚 not positive, it is constructive feedback,鈥 says Lara.
鈥淭ake an action, just listen, and understand what the needs are and what are the gaps that you need to fill. Associates are extremely open and very generous when they are sending their feedback. And if you are not receiving any feedback that also tells you that maybe they are not as engaged as they should be. So, if you don鈥檛 receive any feedback, make a change.鈥