How To’s: Recruitment & Retention in a Hybrid World

Here is the event replay: https://youtu.be/OYs0uzY7rg8

Join the IFOB for our How To’s on Recruitment & Retention.  It’s no secret that staffing and retention is an ongoing issue for employers. During this program attendees will be guided over three areas of focus: what to do before you put an ad out, the interview itself and tips on making the introductory period a success for long term retention!

We hope to address ways to create policies and practices that help you retain top performers without creating risks of discrimination suits. The speakers will share their tips on employee engagement, the evolution of customer service and how it’s changing employee behavior, along with the perks of being the “empathetic employer”.

We’ll also learn about Retail Careers for ME which was developed through the Maine Business Education Partnership, a 501 (c) (3) program of the Retail Association of Maine. They have partnered with the National Retail Federation Foundation’s nationally recognized credential program, RISE UP to create “Retail Careers for ME” which aims to promote retail career opportunities available in the state of Maine as well as retail training and credentials to jump-start your career or refresh current skills.

Come see how they help to recruit and retain workers and hear from two family-owned businesses on their challenges and successes!

Speakers:

Tawny Alvarez, Partner, Verrill

Tawny prides herself on helping clients comply with the law while simultaneously creating an amazing place to work. She centers her practice on the understanding that the employment landscape is ever-changing and organizations do not have the time or resources to keep abreast of all these changes—from medical (and recreational) marijuana’s effect on drug testing to the effect of social networking in the workplace, including the effect of the use of mobile devices on wage and hour issues. In this evolving landscape, Tawny recognizes that for companies to remain profitable and successful they must be proactive, not merely reactive to these issues.

Mari O’Neill, Workforce Development Director, Retail Association of Maine

Mari is the Workforce Development Director for the Retail Association of Maine as well as overseeing and managing their 501 (c) (3) organization, Maine Business Education Partnership. Mari’s role has allowed her to work closely with both businesses in the retail sector and partners within the education realm, regarding the training, recruiting, and retention of workers.

Mari has more than 30 years of retail, training, and educational experience. Mari has worked in a variety of retail sectors, including store & district management, training & development, loss prevention, specialty leasing, marketing, and shopping center management.

Roger Diffin, General Manager, L.L.Bean Flagship Store

Roger is a 22-year employee of L.L.Bean with most of those years in the corporate environment supporting the Stores division as the Sr. Manager of Store Operations.  He has been leading the Flagship Store for the past 7 years where he maintains a year-round staff of 210 employees and hires up to 600 for the summer and holiday peak seasons.  Starting with the company as a seasonal employee himself, Roger knows how to guide new talent through the many opportunities at L.L.Bean.

Danielle R. Hansen, JD, Chief Executive Officer, P&A Bookkeeping and Business Services.

Danielle joined P&A Bookkeeping in 2019 and brought with her a wide array of professional expertise, ranging from finance to public accounting to legal services.  Danielle’s original focus at P&A was improving the customer experience, but she quickly took over the role of CEO and received a crash course on managing business operations, developing client relationships, and improving staff development and retention.  In 2020, Danielle led the charge to turn their local in-person business into a fully remote operation, all while continuing to grow the company and provide the same high-level of customer service their clients were accustomed to.

For more information, contact Brooke Stewart, Director of Communications at brooke@fambusiness.org or 207-281-2414