Programs for every link in the chain The Australian

Programs for every link in the chain
AS the national human resources manager of supermarkets, Fiona Santolin has an
enormous job looking after more than 110,000 employees working in 867 Woolworths
supermarkets across the country.
But the experienced HR executive is not at all fazed by the dimensions of her job.
In fact, she takes it in her stride to spot, train and nurture some of Woolworths' best talent.
"One of the joys of my job is to watch people grow and develop their careers at Woolworths.
Just the other day, I noticed that one of the new store managers started out working as a young
casual when I spotted his potential to rise through the ranks," Santolin says.
The supermarket chain is one the country's biggest employers, with 190,000 staff working
across its different brands, including Big W, Dick Smith and Dan Murphy's; 110,000 of them
are employed in supermarkets.
The company spent more than $60 million on staff development training last year and recruits
more than 43,000 employees every year, including 30,000 for supermarkets.
"One of the biggest problems of my job is to attract the right people, especially in Western
THEAUSTRALIAN
TERESA OOI THE AUSTRALIAN JUNE 23, 2012 12:00AM
National HR manager Fiona Santolin with store manager Mathew Baveas in the Sydney CBD store at Town Hall. Picture:
Alan Pryke. Source: The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/programs-for-every-link-in-the-chain/story-fn717l4s-1226404679827 17/03/2016, 11:39 AM
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Australia, where the mining boom has generated so (many) job choices that its tough to get
people to work in supermarkets - it's often not their first preference in jobs.
"We also have problems recruiting people in remote locations such as Hobart in Tasmania,
where there's just not enough people around.
"Another tricky area is to get enough people to become apprentice butchers and bakers. How do
we sell these apprenticeship jobs across the two trades, which require working overnight for
bakers or starting at 6am for butchers?" she says.
Out of Woolworths' total of 867 supermarkets, about 700 stores have in-store butcheries and
500 have bakeries.
Out of the 43,000 workers recruited last year, 66.5 per cent were under 25. More than half - 54
per cent - of its workforce consists of women.
Santolin says the key to success in Woolworths is staff training. "Nowadays, you simply can't sit
a staff member in front of a training video and expect him or her to learn," she says. "People
expect training to cut across various options, including classroom teaching, on-the-job
experience and mentoring. We have to offer training options which are interesting and
different."
The company offers a variety of development training schemes that cut across different levels of
management, from leadership programs for executives and graduate programs to certificate
traineeships for young apprentices.
The formal training courses include a 12-month future leaders program aimed at managers early
in their careers, which is designed to develop leadership skills and position them for
promotions.
Then there is the 18-month engaging leaders program, aimed at team leaders who have the
potential to move into executive positions.
There is also an 18-month HR strategic development program, an 18-month buying skills
development program and a day-to-day management program for new front-line managers.
A significant proportion of Woolworths staff are casual workers who are high school or
university students working irregular hours to earn some pocket money.
Even as casuals, the company trains them before they are allowed to operate on the shop floor.
"On-the-job training can range from a short course on how to slice meat at the deli to safety
issues when lifting or stacking heavy merchandise," Santolin says.
Woolworths was the first big Australian national retailer to introduce paid parental leave for
employees in 2008.
Last year 1545 women staff members went on parental leave.
"We offer eight weeks of paid parental leave and employees can go on no-pay leave for up to
two years. More than 90 per cent return to work after their parental leave is completed.
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"Men can also go on unpaid parental leave to look after their children."
There is a huge focus on the recruitment of indigenous employees, especially in Alice Springs,
Townsville and South Australia.
Woolworths continues to focus on building relationships with indigenous communities and
target indigenous pre-employment programs.
Last year the company launched its reconciliation action plan to close the gap between
indigenous and non-indigenous employees.
There are more than 600 indigenous employees on the company's books.
The company also employs 567 people who have identified themselves as having a disability.
With more than 25 years' experience working with Woolworths, Santolin observes that workers
today are more aware of their rights. "People have heightened awareness of their rights and are
more vocal with their demands," she says.
Like most retailers, turnover of casual workers remains high at about 30 per cent.
"We just have to manage this situation, just like we have to manage shrinkage at our stores by
both staff members and customers.
"Theft is no longer an old lady pilfering a packet of biscuits. Sometimes there are organised
gangs who would walk out with a whole trolley of expensive merchandise, because they steal to
order.
"We spend a lot of time and effort on prevention and have surveillance cameras and security
guards. The police eventually do catch the culprits."
Most supermarkets have to deal with a lot of wasted food that is fit for human consumption but
can no longer be sold on supermarket shelves.
"Woolworths has pioneered a food rescue scheme working with hundreds of charities which
receive the food," Santolin says.
For someone who started working as a checkout casual when she was 15 in Heidelberg,
Victoria, Santolin had never planned to remain in supermarkets.
"I trained as a nurse and always wanted to be a nurse, but when I graduated and was offered a
store manager traineeship with more money and a better career path, I'm afraid all thoughts of
being a nurse quickly faded," she says.
From apprentice to store manager
MATTHEW Baveas started working as an apprentice butcher for Woolworths at 18.
Two years later he won the NSW apprentice of the year award.
Shortly afterwards, at 20, he was promoted to meat manager and put in charge of eight
employees who were all much older than him.
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"It did not bother me that
I was much younger than
the people I was in charge
of - it was all part of my learning curve," Baveas says.
It did not take him long to become the area trade specialist in charge of meat and seafood across
16 supermarkets and 80 employees.
"Meat and seafood - that's the good stuff. And I had a car, so I really enjoyed the job," Baveas
says.
As part of Woolworths' staff development, he underwent leadership trainee programs and was
promoted to store manager at a newly opened supermarket at Surry Hills in Sydney in 2006.
"It was a bit intimidating going into the new position. But with the skills I had acquired I knew
how to adapt," he says.
"What was also useful was the mentoring from managers. Supermarkets are a fast-paced
business and things can change quite rapidly, but you just learn to adapt."
It was a big leap for Baveas when he was made store manager of the supermarket in
Eastgardens, Sydney, with a weekly turnover of $1 million.
During his four-year stint there, he reduced the high casual staff turnover from 35 per cent to 18
per cent by catering for the needs of Muslim employees.
He is particularly proud that he allocated a prayer room where Muslim employees could
worship. This helped reduce the high staff turnover.
Today Baveas is the store manager of one ofhs Woolworths' bigger supermarkets in Sydney's
CBD, opposite Town Hall, which turns over $2m a week and has 400 staff.
Next month, Baveas, 33, celebrates 15 years working for Woolworths.
He says that his long-term goal is to be promoted to general manager of fresh food.
It's an ambition he is determined to achieve, he says,com - but only "with the right training and
mentoring".
Page 4 of 4

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