What is it about Wegmans Food Markets that you think makes it a great place to work? It does keep showing up year end and out in a very competitive industry where margins are very tight.
We don't have them here in Atlanta (as far as I know).
Pay?
Benefits?
Flexibility?
Respect for employees?
(Note: most of this post is from a part-time employee perspective)
Wegmans is a major grocery chain on the upper east coast. There's store in NY, PA, NJ, VA, and others.
Well, there's 3 parts to the company: distribution, corporate, and store operations. From what I hear, all employees are generally treated the same throughout the entire company.
I work in the store operations part. We are known for hiring young high school students (ages 15-18) as cashiers. We start at minimum wage (in NY, that's $7.15 as of this writing). They accept a wide range of availability based on what your goals are in life. For example, when I started I was 15 playing lacrosse for my school. The only requirement was to complete the week of training. After that, they allowed me to work around my lacrosse schedule. We get paid extra for holidays and Sundays ("premium pay"). Another group of people usually getting hired are retired people. They seem to really enjoy the job.
Benefits? Well, you have to work for a certain amount of time and get a certain amount of hours per week to earn benefits as a part timer. We aren't unionized, so we don't pay union dues. However, the benefits are amazing. Health care, screenings, flu shots, etc. Vacation pay as a PT employee is also available. Scheduling is very flexible, and time off is allowed (with little limitation, but they do monitor it). Also, training is paid. Every training session I've had is paid like you were there for a regular shift. "Meetings" are also paid. In the department I work in, we have "service teams" with team leaders. The team leaders periodically hold meetings to discuss ways to improve things and how well things are going presently. Those are all paid, and there is no dress code if you aren't scheduled to work that day; you can wear street clothes.
Another benefit is the scholarship program. It's similar to the one at UPS. People who receive the scholarship get $1000 per year while in college to assist with college-related expenses.
Flexibility? Absolutely. They allow part time employees to take time off for almost anything, just as long as you let them know two or more weeks in advance. Most of the time, they won't ask; some departments even have a book where you put your name and the days you want off without question as to why. College students are still considered employees even when away from work. When students are back for vacation, their job is still there with the same hours, as if they hadn't left!
Respect for employees? To the fullest extent. They are always interested in making the job pleasant and fun. If something isn't going right, you can tell them and they help you. They take respect very seriously.
I personally agree with the placement of #3 as a great place to work. The younger people usually are dumb and aren't used to a job so they think it sucks. But personally, I think it's better than a job at a fast foot place or something like that.
(#1 in 2005)
