REWE Kimes received the "Store Team of the Year" award at Supermarket Stars 2022: good atmosphere, many applicants, hardly any staff turnover. REWE saleswoman Manuela Kimes from Wöllstadt in Hesse reveals how this can work in times of demographic change.
"We have recruited all of our trainees ourselves. Most of them started with us as temporary staff or as student interns, so they come from the local area, which is something we also value highly. If someone enjoys the job, does well and wants to increase their hours, I ask them: 'Why don't you do an apprenticeship with us? One learnt to be a sales assistant, he didn't have a school-leaving certificate and had dyslexia and dyscalculia. And then he was as proud as Oscar: first flat of his own, own money. His family hardly supported him, but he has now found his second family with us.
Because, of course, work is important. We are a company, we have to work economically, bills have to be paid, we have to have something left over for ourselves. But the other side is just as important: that people enjoy working for us and really belong to the Kimes family. That's not just an empty phrase, we really live it. As a result, we naturally realise a lot about our 55 employees. And then you can deal with it in a completely different way and have much more understanding when work doesn't go well. It doesn't mean that we have to help them out. On the contrary, colleagues call to find out how things are going.
You have to turn your hobby into a job, then you won't have any more work. That's true for me. And that's also the first thing my employees learn. When someone says: 'When do I have to come to work tomorrow?', I say: 'Not at all. You don't have to work. You just have to die and pay taxes. Everything else is voluntary That's the first thing they learn. And when they say: 'I have a problem', I reply: 'There is no problem. There are only solutions'. Everyone understands that very quickly and from then on comes straight back with suggestions for solutions. And they don't have to do anything. That changes their thoughts and their attitude to work.
It doesn't matter whether someone works four or 40 hours, whether as a department manager or part-time employee. For me, everyone is equally valuable and important. It helps people if you keep telling them how much you recognise them. Conversely, we also part ways with someone very quickly if it really doesn't fit.
You have to mould the team so that it really is one big family. You can't say by hook or by crook: 'Let's give it a go, it'll work out'. Years of experience have shown me: 'No, it won't'. And conversely, people aren't happy themselves. I then say: 'You only have one life. And in this one life, you should do what you like doing. Not just drag yourself through the hours at work for the money'. We then have a conversation and part on good terms. It's very important to me that I part ways with employees properly.
Because the head of a store decides what the mood in the team is like and which employees you have. The fish stinks from the head, as the saying goes. It's important to let people do their thing and ask them: 'Do you feel comfortable where you are? Then it may come out that the person would rather be employed somewhere else. I certainly respond to this, because the more flexibly employees can be deployed, the easier it is to cope with bottlenecks. And there is more understanding for others. If you always do the same thing, you don't know what the problems of other shifts or departments are.
We also promote team spirit with our joint activities. At our summer parties, our multicultural team brings food from all countries, our DJ colleague plays Polish music, Kurdish, Turkish... We filmed a video clip in our store after closing time and everyone was there at night. We do crazy things. It brings people together."
Manuela Kimes (pronounced Kaims), 55, decided to become self-employed with her husband Christoph when she was over 50.
The partner saleswoman from Wöllstadt (Wetterau district, Hesse) is a real home-grown talent, having started her apprenticeship at REWE at the age of 15.
