Weis Markets looked at its asset protection efforts more than a year ago and its team realized that it had to change its culture, Adrian Strayer, Weis asset protection manager, told PFMA’s Food Protection Committee during its meeting on September 24.
Weis Markets’ Rob Wynn, director of food safety and quality control; and Mark Wyand, director of asset protection joined Strayer to answer questions from the group.
Weis Markets’ Rob Wynn, director of food safety and quality control; and Mark Wyand, director of asset protection joined Strayer to answer questions from the group.
“We walked into the break room and the bulletin board was filled with signs,” Strayer said. “The information wasn’t being read by our associates.”
Those posters were supposed to bring about awareness, but they weren’t visually engaging. They also contained condescending messaging, no specific cadence and Weis didn’t have any type of measurement to see if they worked.
The catalyst for the company’s change was the development of the AP Link brand, which is providing better communication and more results.
Weis Markets' Asset Protection team encompasses three divisions: Loss Prevention/Asset Protection/Compliance; Safety, Risk Management and Insurance; and Quality Control.
“We are working to incorporate as many tools online as we can,” he said. “In year two, the flip chart, Need 2 Knows and orientation brochure went online.”
After the first year, Weis Markets reduced its workers’ compensation claims by 33 percent and its general liability claims by 19 percent. The company also found the theft cases — both external and employee cases went up as associate awareness increased. In addition, associates started using the 800-tip line and calls increased by more than 200 percent the first month.
For 2014-15, Weis added food safety to the program and it is now paperless. It continues its Communication Center, monthly posters and messaging.
AP Link Awareness and Reporting site features a new hire orientation, 12 awareness modules and food safety and sanitation modules.
Weis associates are using AP Link for food safety and sanitation. It will help ensure store cleanliness for customers and associates, establish food safety certification, and provide basic food safety awareness for all associates.
The food safety modules contain basic food safety topics such as personal hygiene, proper food storage, time and temperature control, cross contamination and cleaning and sanitation. They also feature modules specific to departments such as bakery, meat, seafood, deli and produce.
Weis developed the AP Link brand to represent safety, food safety and loss prevention. “AP” for asset protection and “Link” to designate that success is a team effort. They also worked to provide a positive message for the generally negative view of loss prevention with the “Partners in Success” tagline.
The program implementation was from April 2013 – May 2014, and it featured a year-long messaging campaign for loss prevention and safety. Weis developed materials that were quick, impactful and memorable. Its Communications Center featured eye-catching posters with memorable messaging such as “It’s Showtime,” which features a well-dressed associate ready to emerge from behind a curtain and emphasized the importance of appearance and customer service. Another poster featured “Take the Mean Out of the Machine,” a meat slicer from hell, to promote safety. A new poster debuted monthly along with “Need 2 Knows” or facts to promote safety or loss prevention.
Weis also re-introduced its tip line to report theft and other issues. A new graffiti type font helped draw attention to the phone number.
Managers were provided with new tools to assist them in promoting the messaging and measuring success. They included orientation brochures for new associates, flip charts with information for their weekly meetings and an online reporting and compliance site to monitor their progress.
In addition, Weis engaged the associates directly with “Find, Fix and Win” cards and a “Spin to Win” website and a smartphone app for the iPhone, which provided opportunities for associates to win prizes.
After a year in operation, Weis evaluated the program and discussed what needed tweaked. First, more associates were getting involved and engaged with the program. Integrating the reporting and compliance data into the manager’s duties was slow in the beginning, but once an AP Link coordinator and district managers were made accountable, compliance rose to 100 percent.
“Surprisingly, participation in the Find, Fix and Win cards, Gotta minutes and the Spin to Win app was low,” Strayer said. “With our young associates using SmartPhones, we thought the app would be a winner, but people did not gravitate toward it. It will be dropped from the program.”
Prior to 2013, associates randomly participated in ServSafe food safety certification. Starting this year, Weis will require certification for all salaried managers, department managers, assistant department managers and certified closers.
Rob Wynn, director of food safety and quality control, said 85 to 92 percent of the associates have completed the e-learning and all associates are required to take it.
“Our challenge is that we have all experience levels of associates with different ages and backgrounds,” Wynn said. “We provide help to associates who have not used a computer.”
The training modules record all the results and require associates to answer basic knowledge questions before they can move on to other modules. Managers can monitor associate training and they can see their scores, so that they can recommend further training. It’s also available to district managers so they can review each store’s compliance and report to senior managers.
Weis plans to evaluate the program at the end of the second year and make any necessary additions or adjustments. Other departments are also looking at developing similar programs.
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