Employees Come First at Wegmans
Figure 1.1
This Wegmans is located in Germantown, Maryland.
Ever since Fortune magazine created its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Wegmans has consistently remained within its ranks. In 2007, Wegmans was given the Food Network’s award as the nation’s top supermarket. Wegmans is a thriving grocery store chain based in Rochester, New York, that grew to 71 stores across Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia by 2008. Wegmans is a family-run business. Daniel Wegman, the current CEO, is the grandson of the company’s cofounder. Daniel’s daughter Colleen Wegman is president of the company. The Fortune magazine ranking came as a surprise to many in the grocery industry, as Wegmans is characterized by low profit margins, low-paying and tedious jobs, and demanding customer interactions.
There are many reasons that Wegmans has such loyal workers and a turnover rate of only 8% for their 35,000 employees (compared to the industry average, which is closer to 50%). They utilize job sharing and a compressed workweek and also offer telecommuting for some employees. Ultimately, Wegmans created an environment that shows employees they matter. The company motto is “Employees first. Customers second” is based on the belief that when employees feel cared for, they will in turn show concern for the customers they serve. In response to the 2008 ranking as the third best company in the United States to work for, CEO Danny Wegman said, “Every one of our employees and customers should stand up and take a bow, because together they make Wegmans a special place.”
Wegmans has also consistently brought innovations to a fairly traditional industry. For example, Wegmans launched a Web site for its stores in 1996 with specifics on health and recipes and other helpful information for its customers. Many have called the experience at Wegmans “Food Theater.” With sales of organic foods in the United States soaring to $17 billion, Wegmans supermarkets started its own 50-acre organic research farm. Its goal is to develop best practices in terms of health and efficiency and to share those practices with the hundreds of farmers that supply their stores with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Wegmans is demonstrating that being both socially and environmentally responsible can increase employee loyalty, growth, and profits, creating a win–win situation for the organization, important stakeholders such as employees and customers, and the communities where they are located.
Sources: Based on information contained in Ezzedeen, S. R., Hyde, C. M., & Laurin, K. R. (2006). Is strategic human resource management socially responsible? The case of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. Employee Responsibility and Rights Journal, 18, 295–307; Niedt, B. (2008, January 22). Wegmans no. 3 on Fortune’s “Best companies to work for” list. The Post-Standard; Borden, M., Chu, J., Fishman, C., Prospero, M. A., & Sacks, D. (2008, September 11). 50 ways to green your business. Fast Company. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/50-ways-to-green-your-business_5.html; 100 best companies to work for. (2008). Retrieved January 27, 2008, from the Fortune Web site: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/snapshots/3.html.
FAQs
Definition of Organizational Behavior. Organizational behavior is the study of how individuals and groups interact within an organization and how these interactions affect an organization's performance toward its goal or goals. The field examines the impact of various factors on behavior within an organization.
What are the 4 focus of organizational behavior? ›
The four elements of organizational behavior are people, structure, technology, and the external environment. By understanding how these elements interact with one another, improvements can be made.
What is organizational behavior concerned with ______? ›
Organizational behavior is concerned with studying what people do in an organization and how that… | by Shailendri Yadav, MBA | Medium. Organizational behavior is concerned with studying what people do in an organization and how that behavior affects the organization's performance.
What are the questions for organizational behavior? ›
Organizational Behavior
- Define organizational structure. ...
- Mention the types of organizational structure. ...
- What are the components of organizational structures? ...
- What do you mean by organizational behaviour? ...
- What are the basic levels of analysis in organisational behaviour?
The focus of organizational behavior tends to center around employee productivity. For example, organizational behavior studies have shown that employees who feel valued and appreciated tend to be more motivated and productive, leading to increased profits for the organization.
What is the primary focus of OB? ›
OB focuses/covers three determinants of behaviour within organisations – Individuals, Groups and Structure. The study of organizational behavior also focuses on areas of research dedicated to improving job performance, increasing job satisfaction, promoting innovation, and encouraging leadership.
What are the three goals of OB? ›
“The goals of OB [organizational behavior] are to explain, predict, and influence behavior. Managers need to be able to explain why employees engage in some behaviors rather than others, predict how employees will respond to various actions and decisions, and influence how employees behave.” — Open Class.
What are the 4 C's of organizational behavior? ›
In conclusion, the 4 C's — Cooperation, Collaboration, Contribution, and Community — are not merely buzzwords but guiding principles that can transform a workplace.
What is the main purpose of organizational behavior? ›
Organizational behavior study helps a leader to understand their influence on the employees. It determines your attitude towards them. It draws a clear picture of how to make your workplace psychologically safe. This is a workplace that will inspire and build morale.
What is organizational Behaviour concerned with? ›
According to Fred Luthans “Organisational behaviour is directly concerned with the understanding, production and control of human behaviour in organisations.”
Organizational behavior researchers are primarily concerned with measuring the presence of employee motivation, job alienation, organizational commitment, or similar work-related variables in order to understand how these attributes explain employee work behaviors and how they are affected by other variables, such as ...
What is organizational behavior best described as? ›
Organization behavior: field of study that investigates the impact individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness.
What is the Big Five theory of organizational behavior? ›
This stands for openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These personalities can help companies understand their employees and provide insight into their motivations, traits, behaviors and talents.
What are the 4 elements of organizational Behaviour? ›
But regardless of how much material there is, there are four key elements to keep in mind when applying organizational behavior theory to the workplace. They are people, structure, technology, and environment.
What are the four basic approaches of organizational Behaviour? ›
Organisational Behaviour approaches
- 1) Human Resources approach.
- 2) Contingency approach.
- 3) Productivity approach.
- 4) System approach.
- 5) Inter-Disciplinary approach.
Organizational Behavior is important because how a firm is managed provides it with something that distinguishes it from other organizations. Organizations, (especially large companies) all have access to capital markets (i.e., money), to marketing, to supply chains, to new ideas and services.
What is organizational behavior quizlet? ›
Organization behavior: field of study that investigates the impact individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness.
What is the role of OB? ›
OB helps in improving interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships: OB helps an individual in gaining a better insight into the intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. It enables an individual to understand him and others in a better way.
What is organizational behavior essay? ›
Organizational Behavior Essay Organisational Behaviour (OB) is the study of human behaviour in an organisation. It is a multidisciplinary field devoted to the understanding individual and group behaviour, interpersonal processes and organisational dynamics. OB is important to all management functions, roles and skills.
