Best of HR
Best Recruiting Tool
Burgerville Recognized by APA
Burgerville employees don’t need to wait for the government to implement a universal healthcare plan to afford health insurance. Employees who have been with Burgerville for six months and work 20 hours a week pay just $15 a month for comprehensive medical insurance with no deductible and a $20 co-pay. The program cost $1.4 million to launch in 2006. Since then turnover has decreased from 128 percent to 50–52 percent as more employees jump on the healthcare bandwagon. Fewer than three dozen employees had company insurance beforehand. Now nearly 500 do. Burgerville’s efforts earned the company recognition from the American Psychological Association (APA), which named Burgerville a “Best Practice” winner at the APA annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony in March.
Best Future Forecasting
Caribou Coffee Plans for Succession
Caribou Coffee has found a smarter way to keep track of its 6,000-plus employees and their journeys up the corporate ladder. The chain purchased SuccessFactors Succession Management software in January, allowing it to create a companywide database of employee performance metrics, including skill sets, career aspirations, experiences, and ability to relocate. Based on the data collected, Caribou is in the process of developing a succession plan.
Best Education Effort
Carvel ‘Refreshing Our Image’ Campaign
Carvel Ice Cream treated each of its continental U.S. stores, about 440 locations, to a half-day “Refreshing Our Image” visit this spring. As part of Carvel’s largest training operation to date, field operations teams and corporate employees hit the streets to introduce six new blended frozen drinks to the system and conduct one-on-one training sessions with crew members.
Best Team-Building Exercise
Red Mango Executive Team Nears Completion
South Korean frozen yogurt export Red Mango set up shop in the U.S. just last year, but already the company has opened more than 40 stores in nine states. With the hiring of veteran CFO Mark J. Archer, who has worked with quick-service chains such as Jamba Juice and Coffee People in his 25-year career, the company has nearly completed its executive team. Now the growth can really begin.
Best Morale Booster
McDonald’s Hosts Employee Parents
Teens got the chance to teach their parents a thing or two this April during McDonald’s first, Tri-State region Take Your Parents to Work Day. Parents in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut got behind the counter in 650 stores to make fries, pour drinks, and watch their kids at work.