Many companies promote a customer-centric culture , but at The Container Store , the culture is all about putting the employee first . “ To us , talent is the whole ball game ,” said Audrey Robertson , Audrey Robertson Executive Vice President of Culture
& Strategic Assistant to the CEO . “ Our hiring philosophy is 1 Great Person = 3 Good People . We ’ re wild-eyed fanatics when it comes to hiring great people .”
Robertson said that the employee-first culture is demonstrated in three ways : above-average pay , training and communication . “ It starts with paying people well . If you indeed believe that with one great employee , you get three times the productivity of a good employee , you can afford to pay employees who work closest to the customer 50 to 100 percent more than what other retailers might pay them .”
AN EMPHASIS ON TRAINING
In an industry where employee training averages about eight hours , The Container Store offers more than 263 hours of formal training in the first year for full-time employees . Whether a new hire will be working in the stores , distribution centers or the corporate office , the job begins with a full week of cultural immersion in what they call Foundation Training . “ By understanding and supporting our Foundation Principles , we can all respond in unison to similar circumstances ,” Robertson said . “ Retail is far , far too situational to attempt to achieve anything through inflexible rules and policies .”
A key component of Foundation Training is understanding the company ’ s approach to Conscious Capitalism , a business strategy of creating win-wins that benefit human beings and the environment . “ Our Foundation Principles are not just compatible with , but are absolutely synonymous with , the tenets of Conscious Capitalism . We ’ re very proud of the fact that we operate our business this way . It makes our employees incredibly proud ,” Robertson said .
The third focus on putting employees first is communication . “ Unlike some companies , we don ’ t work on a need-to-know basis . We strive to communicate everything to every person in our company . We share as much as we can — from company goals and objectives , to real estate expansion and financial details . It makes every employee truly a part of our company ’ s success .”
RECRUITING GREAT CUSTOMERS
How do they find great people ? “ The first place we look is among our own customers ,” Robertson said . “ We believe that one of the smartest things we can do is hire our customers because they ’ re already familiar with our products , are genuinely excited about them , and can easily relate to anyone who walks into the store .”
“ Retail is far , far too situational to attempt to achieve anything through inflexible rules and policies .”
They don ’ t necessarily look for prior experience in retail . Robertson said they ’ ve hired lawyers , artists and people with PhDs . “ We ’ re constantly on the lookout for amazing people who elevate the game of everyone around them .”
The Container Store , which went public in 2013 , has not diluted its emphasis on culture . “ We believe that our culture drives the value of our business ,” Robertson said . “ Creating an employee-first culture is all about investing in employees so that they know the company truly cares for them as a valued asset , not a commodity .”
TRIBETAKEAWAY
Having employees live and breathe the culture starts with in-depth training at onboarding .
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