Resource Expertise: Custom VIP+ Assessment Surpasses Goals, Saves Millions
Associate Success • Employee Retention • Pay Rates • Recruiting • Screening and Training | 09/26/2022
The Client
Little Tikes single-site order fulfillment location.
The Need
- Little Tikes was falling critically behind on orders and needed to hire 150 additional associates as quickly as possible. Despite utilizing six different staffing agencies, the client had lost nearly $16 million due to turnover and challenges with training.
- With a headcount of around 120 and a need for at least 270, Little Tikes reached out to leverage the capabilities of our VIP+ program to drive traffic to hire, improve training, and boost retention.
- Our mission was to help Little Tikes reach the required headcount, increase order fulfillment from 57% to 85%, and reduce turnover from 40% to 28.5%
The Solution
Drawing on a 10-year relationship with Little Tikes and a strong understanding of their market and the labor environment, we combined and upgraded our VIP+ program, corporate support, and local talent to create a fully customized plan for success:
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Custom VIP+ Program
We developed a dedicated on-site team to focus on Little Tikes’ order fulfillment, retention, and employee engagement efforts. Relocating order fulfillment from a branch to the Little Tikes site streamlined processes and empowered our team to fill orders efficiently. Best of all, we found an opportunity for $600,000 in tax savings for the client, greatly minimizing the overall cost of the program.
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Comprehensive Support
Our unique program essentially eliminated the need for additional agency partners. With only one agency team on site, associates and supervisors had consistent and streamlined experiences, support, and benefits across all shifts. This also dramatically simplified the process of implementing retention initiatives.
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Wages and Bonuses
Our team leveraged regional wage data to determine competitive pay rates for the market and successfully increased the placement pay rate by $4/hr. We also made strategic recommendations for sign-on bonuses to boost both new hires and retention.
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Reputation Management
To maximize interview traffic during the hiring phase, we developed an aggressive strategy for improving Little Tikes’ perceived reputation, leveraging online reviews, a heavy referral push, and traditional advertising. Our team also engaged in community outreach opportunities, including job fairs.
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Additional Opportunities
To capitalize on the Spanish-speaking talent in the area, we implemented new roles for Spanish speakers and hired translators for teams to improve retention. Additionally, our team developed a recommendation for adding a third shift to boost productivity and broaden the appeal to candidates who prefer working nights.
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Retention Initiatives
Our team developed a wide range of associate perks aimed at improving retention and boosting employee satisfaction, including raffles, family celebrations, and vaccine vans.
The Outcome
With our customized VIP+ program, our team successfully surpassed the efforts of six agencies, enabled Little Tikes to catch up on back orders, and exceeded the client’s goals.
- Hired 200+ employees to reach the desired 320 headcount
- Achieved 100% order fulfillment
- Delivered over $9 million in savings to the client
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Headcount
At the start of the project, our goal was to reach 85% order fulfillment. By increasing headcount, we surpassed this goal by reaching 100% in the first year. Little Tikes’ current headcount is 320, 145 more than ever before — even while working with six agencies.
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Retention
Wage and regional data helped Little Tikes make strategic decisions pertaining to pay rate and peak incentives. As a result, turnover was reduced beyond expectations from what was discovered to be an estimated 75% to less than 20%. This dramatic shift in turnover contributed to nearly $1.9 million in annual savings.