HR Pumps Up Its Game Plan for Bench Building
Building the bench—identifying associates who have leadership potential and preparing them for the future—is a strategic focus for the Exchange’s Human Resources directorate, which is offering four new Bench Builder programs for 2023.
“This is something that affects everyone,” said Samantha Davis, Chief of Corporate Learning. “It’s less pressure on managers if they’ve got a pre-built bench. It’s easier for associates to progress as soon as they start working and it’s exciting that they can quickly start learning about the next level in their career path.”
Among HR’s long-running initiatives are the Retail Management Academy (RMA) and Restaurant Operations Management Academy (ROMA), both of which have trained hundreds of associates in management techniques. HR now offers a new, similar program that covers another training area.
“This year, we’ve added the Services Business Management Academy,” Davis said. “We’re going to include services techs or associates from various career cones who want to consider trying services management as a potential career. Training these associates will build the services bench alongside those in the food and retail career areas.”
Also new this year is a Career Advancement Toolkit, a valuable resource which provides a convenient stop for associates interested in career advancement.
“We’ve created this toolkit so that associates can boost their marketability for advancement as they compete for career enhancing and promotional assignments,” Davis said. “It is conveniently on our portal and we are confident that they will want this as part of their professional arsenal of tools that will enhance their image and exposure and get all of their questions answered.”
The toolkit includes topics such as how to upload a résumé into the Exchange’s system, the pros and cons of working remotely, how to maximize their potential by working with Talent Managers and more.
A third new bench-building program is Management Transitions. As managers ascend to new pay bands, the program promotes networking to immerse them in Exchange culture and helps managers learn the soft skills they need to succeed.
“Every time a manager gets promoted to the next level, they are evaluated on additional core competencies on their performance reviews,” Davis said. “Now, with every step they take in their journey, we give them the opportunity to learn about, and apply, the core competencies and make the most out of those.”
The Advanced Retail Management and Advanced Food Management training continue to evolve, now considering internal candidates. “We’re calling this a bridge program,” Davis said. “We’re bridging the gap between RMA/ROMA and the next-level manager. It’s one of the major bench-builders, developing midlevel managers who can come in and handle a food brand or a small food court or take on a role as an assistant branch manager.”
Davis says that Advanced Retail/Food Management will not be offered at every Exchange, but will target Exchanges that have the most opportunity for upward mobility. As the program evolves, additional Exchanges will be added.
She added that since the new programs were announced in a January email to the workforce, reaction has been strong.
“The response has been amazing,” she said. “People are very excited about the opportunity to learn. This happens at the beginning of every year. People really want to see what they can do to advance in their careers, and we’re excited for them. Never has there been a more exciting time in the learning and development area and we look forward to watching our associates progress into more responsible leadership roles!”
To learn more about new and existing training opportunities, visit the HR Talent portal. For more information, contact CorporateLearning@aafes.com,
