Workforce

Digital Skills and the Future of the Food Industry

In the age of social media, smart phones, Wi-Fi, self-checkout lanes and all manner of AI software, it’s no surprise that technology is becoming an ever more critical fixture of food retail operations. Food retailers far and wide are beginning to ...

Continue the New Year’s Celebration on February 22, 2022

Even though there are exactly 50 days until Supermarket Employee Day (2.22.22), there are only 15 days left to place an order for resources from the Supermarket Employee Day online store. Any orders placed after January 18, 2022, are unlikely to ...

VIDEO: Grocery Workforce Front and Center

FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin discusses the contributions and investments our industry has made to support its workers, contribute to the economy and meet the needs of Americans throughout the ...

How To Express Your Love on That Special Day in February

No, we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day. February is when we celebrate Supermarket Employee Day on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (2.22.22). Here are some action items for preparing to express our love and appreciation for those supermarket heroes ...

5 Awesome & Easy Ways to Celebrate Supermarket Employee Day

Supermarket Employee Day is the official day created in 2021 by FMI to give back to the people and teams who are the unsung heroes of the grocery store! Building on the energy from the inaugural start, for Supermarket Employee Day 2022, here are ...

Being the Champion of Supermarket Employees

Reflecting back on 2021, it reminds me of the final scenes of that original award-winning movie, Rocky, where Sylvester Stallone’s character has the chance to face the biggest challenge of his career and is knocked down again and again only to ...

Finding New Meaning in Veterans Day

Holiday traditions have a way of growing and shifting over time as new layers of meaning and new customs are added to the ways we celebrate them. This is as true with Veterans Day as it is with other holidays. Its meaning has shifted and expanded ...

An Update on FMI University Member Workforce Activities

FMI is pleased to have the leading universities in the food industry space as partners and collaborators. Each of these FMI university members bring knowledge and insight into the rapidly changing labor ...

Celebrate What You Want to See More Of

Author Tom Peters, best known for his 1982 book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies said, “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” These words capture the reason FMI is proclaiming a second annual Supermarket Employee ...

A Wild Industry Ride Still in Progress

Food industry leaders have surely felt a great deal of anxiety about the crazy ride they have been on for the past 18 months, which seems to not have an end in sight. Nevertheless, the entire food retailing industry has shown enormous courage in ...

Ensuring Love’s Labor Isn’t Lost

This Labor Day, several dramatic elements are coming together in a way that should give the food industry new reasons to celebrate this holiday. Let me set the stage for you. The first dramatic element is a powerful back drop that has been ...

Managing Maturity, Goals, Roadblocks and Investments in the Future of Work

I’ve visited retailers all over the world, on virtually every continent except Antarctica. No matter the language or the terrain, retailers consistently take care of their customers and communities in the areas in which they operate. In the U.S., ...

The New Climate of Food Retail

We have all witnessed large scale changes to the design and layout of our favorite grocery stores since the start of COVID-19. Most of the in-store dining experiences were dismantled, and the salad bars turned into grab-and-go stations for pre-made ...

How Food Industry Leaders Learn Virtually

This past year and a half brought differences in all aspects of life, including education. But these differences have brought opportunities to become stronger. Our summer intern had his college curriculum go virtual, and there are benefits to this ...

Historical Perception vs. Reality: Industry Attractiveness

I bet if you took a moment you could think of at least three people in the food retail industry who started their career as a cashier or bagger and now have a role leading the company. Can you think of three? ...