This is the first of an annual Cooperative Grocer Human Resources Survey report. The survey is designed to help co-ops evaluate their HR and compensation practices. We believe this report will be a valuable resource for boards of directors setting management wages and for managers setting staff wages and benefits.
Larger stores pay people more and offer more and better benefits.
If you work in a small store, one way to get paid more and to get more benefits is to increase the co-op's volume. Turnover is high for cooperatives for all size, reflecting similar levels in the conventional grocery indusry. Our human resources strategies need to provide recruiting and training systems for this labor context. Member Labor programs don't necessarily lead to higher or lower costs. This is an area for more study, however, because the variability was very high, and some of the data are questionable.