Business 10th Edition by Ferrell,Geoffrey Hirt,Linda Ferrell

Exercise 3

Wegmans Motivates Employees and Excels in Sustainability
Wegmans, a small grocery chain along the Atlantic region, is keen on motivating its more than 42,000 employees. The 96-year-old grocer offers benefits such as flexible scheduling, employee scholarship programs, and a 66 percent rate of internal promotions to empower and motivate its workforce to optimal levels. The company generated $6.7 billion in revenue in 2013 and has been consistently ranked as one of Fortune 's top five best companies to work for since the list began in 1998.
Wellness programs for employees, which include free monthly health screenings, blood pressure and nutrition coaching, and onsite yoga and Zumba classes, are a priority for the chain. It will also subsidize other health programs that employees find more effective. The result is highly energized, healthy, and happy employees who feel invested in the company. Employees undergo 40 hours of training before interacting with customers and are given the opportunity to travel in order to become experts in the store's products.
Sustainability is another investment Wegmans values, and it encourages employees to feel the same. The company uses paper boats for sampling rather than plastic cups and grocery bags made from 40 percent recycled material. Wegmans retreaded the tires on its trucks rather than purchase new tires, saving more than 30,000 gallons of oil. Additionally, Greenpeace recently ranked the company number one in seafood sustainability. 7
Describe the employee benefits Wegmans offers and how this motivates them to offer better customer service.