Checkers & Rally’s was recently identified by Tampa Bay Times as a Top Place to Work. The iconic drive-in quick-service restaurant is the only foodservice business to land on the list. To honor the winners, Tampa Bay Times had hosted an achievement breakfast event for all the selected companies yesterday.
“We are honored our teams in the restaurants and at our Restaurant Support Center recognize us as a Top Place to Work,” says Marna Killian, Senior Vice President of People at Checkers & Rally’s. “We couldn’t be more pleased to receive this recognition in our home city of Tampa. We strive to create an experience for our team members that allows them to grow personally and professionally. Over the last few years we have executed on initiatives to attract, develop and retain our people. Our focus has been on improving our employment brand, offering additional training and development, implementing an engagement strategy, and offering enhanced benefits through a deeper understanding of our employees.”
The winning selections for Tampa Bay Times Top Places to Work were chosen based on an Energage employee survey, in which employees judged their brand on the following criteria: alignment of the company’s future, values and cooperation; connection with employees; the company’s effectiveness of sharing different viewpoints and encouraging new ideas; management’s ability to care for concerns, helping individuals learn and grow; company engagement through motivation, retention and recruiting; confidence in company leaders and basic factors such as pay, benefits, flexibility and training. This was the first time Checkers & Rally’s participated in the survey and achieved employee participation well above the required minimum participation of 35%.
Cynthia Cancio Perez, Director of People Acquisition and Engagement for Checkers & Rally’s, stated that the brand’s recognition as a Top Place to Work is an incredible act of the company coming together. Cancio Perez and Employee Engagement Specialist, Candace Smith, expressed that being selected is a tremendous achievement, giving the brand an edge above their competitors, especially in a tight labor market.
“This opportunity is less about the award and more about the employees,” says Cancio Perez. “We are nothing if we don’t take care of our people. Without our employees, there is no way to grow and sustain the business. We still know there is work to be done, and we look forward to learning how to better accommodate our people; we want to continue being their employer of choice.”
Within recent years, Checkers & Rally’s has made distinct efforts to improve people acquisition, retention and engagement. Cancio Perez’s and Smith’s latest success within engagement is found in the brand’s tiered feedback system through implementing an internal listening tool. The engagement tool gathers feedback from employees throughout their employment journey with Checkers & Rally’s. For example, how an individual is welcomed during their first week, whether or not they were set up for success in their training program and the type of relationship that is being built with local management.
To congratulate all team members of Checkers & Rally’s on this recognition, the brand will be specifically holding internal pizza parties at each of the 22 Tampa Bay locations and at the Restaurant Support Center will have a celebration as well.
