Dollar General is overhauling employee recruitment and retention.
The dollar store retailer is leveraging a mix of targeted advertising, data science and predictive modeling technologies to identify top candidates for external leadership positions. Additionally, Dollar General seeks to identify top internal talent for leadership positions across the country, particularly in field operations.
By spring 2019, approximately 11,000 current store managers had been promoted from within. The retailer’s training and development team worked to create a pathway for recently-hired sales associates to be promoted to a lead sales associate in six months, an assistant store manager in one year, and the potential to be a store manager within three years. They also identify high-performing store managers as candidates to become district managers.
“After implementing new software into our recruitment strategy, we were able to better identify ideal candidates from across the country to lead our field teams, to grow within our company and support our overall business,” said Lori Bremer, Dollar General VP of talent management. “This strategic investment in technology helps give us the tools to seek out candidates who are a great fit for our business, our objectives and our mission.”
Other initiatives Dollar General has made in the area of employee recruitment, retention and investment include:
• Expanded and enhanced training programs, including an improved store manager training program, a new recruitment management system and situational simulation training course for field management teams.
• As of spring 2019, all full-time and part-time employees are eligible for telemedicine – an avenue created through technology to chat with a licensed medical doctor for minor health issues, with a low monthly cost.
• Expanded parental leave and adoption assistance benefits announced in March 2018.
• In summer 2017, Dollar General launched DG Voice, a new continuous feedback survey where employees provide software-based feedback on a quarterly basis.
Dollar General achieved recognition as the top corporate curriculum for training and development in early 2019 in Training magazine, a professional development publication written for training HR and business management professionals across all industries. Dollar General has been consistently ranked in Training magazine’s Top 125 list for the past eight consecutive years.