Executives from The Coca-Cola Company, Smokey Bones, Shake Shack and Noodles & Company shared their advice for building better company culture at CREATE in Denver.
conducting pulse surveys about how the workers are feeling about the world and the Coke culture. “We focus on really listening to our associates and then adjusting our practices accordingly,” she said. Boennighausen said the two years of heightened COVID concerns, as well as travel and other restrictions, has corroded the best barometer of culture — the energy felt feel when walking into a restaurant. Executives must make an effort to communicate transparency, and even a vulnerability, he said. Diversity and equity programs can help, Stover added. “We took a hard look at our workforce back in 2020 and realized that we had 53% women overall and 76% people of color, so we looked at leadership rates and the ladder to the home office,” she said. “We did the hard work of taking an internal look, and then we put some pen to paper and we set some goals.” Cagigal said the Coke team has looked at those with disabilities as well and created equity accountability councils, made up of both employees and representatives of the communities, to advise the company on diversity. Reflecting the community should dovetail with what workers want and need from their jobs, the panelists said. Boennighausen said smartphones are an example of how younger employees view their place in the community: They are the blue dot on maps and the world is centered around them, and Spotify allows them to personalize their music. “Every aspect of our lives is so personalized,” he said of the younger employees and what they want from workplace culture. “They want that type of personal experience.”
Figuring out a 4-day work week at Asian Box 29 min
50 min
Noodles & Company: Personalizing the employee experience
3 emerging brand CEOs talk labor challenges
Shake Shack: Providing a clear path for growth
4 restaurant leaders discuss their struggles with labor, supply chain and more 34 min
Smokey Bones: Being transparent with the team
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