Whole Foods Research Paper

Whole Foods was established in 1980 with one store in Austin, Texas. Today, Whole Foods is the world’s largest leader in natural and organic foods. There are over 310 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods is committed to the finest natural and organic foods available, sustainable agriculture and have one of the strictest of quality standards. Whole Foods offers customers a wide variety of products. “Natural” refers to food that is free of growth hormones or antibiotics, where “certificated

Average wage is $18.89, which is significantly higher than the retail store national average. Workers always earn a 20% discount from store items, with a potential of a 30% discount given that their cholesterol, blood pressure, and body-mass-index (BMI) are within a healthy range. Whole Foods provides their workers with a company website where they can monitor their eating patterns. Employees are able to access wages of anyone working for the corporation, from hourly workers to CEO’s. Voices are not left unheard as Whole Food’s encourages workers to present ideas, hence they have became known for taking the good ones. Their bestselling bread recipe came from a worker in Santa Fe, and their model of a bicycle delivery was written by a cyclist from Austin, Texas. Employee “perks” include language classes, massage therapy, and yoga. They have created alluring and joyful environments which reflect their intentions. The motto goes: “We celebrate success and see failures as opportunities for growth.” Thus, the company progresses through using the judgement and imagination of their workers.

Whole Foods has many important values. For example, they believe that their customers are the most important stakeholders and the lifeblood of their business.[8] Whole Foods has five major stakeholders; John Mackey (CEO), James Sud, Glenda Chamberlain, Walter Robb, and John Elstrott.[9] Whole Foods selectively chose where to do business based on their average customer. Whole Foods knows that its products are for health and food enthusiasts.[10]

If a new member of staff starts work, then it might be that they have training on how to pick up boxes correctly by doing this they will not hurt their back. There are legal obligations in workplaces. So, this is rules that the employer must follow. An example of this would be that employers must provide the right equipment for employees, this could be in a garage steel toe cap shoes are provided, this reduces the risk of there toes getting injured by a car. Employees should be able to get involved about what risks they are worried about in the workplace.

As discussed above with the SWOT Analysis of the company, Whole Foods certainly is a very financially sound and a major player in the organic food industry, however, it is important for Whole Foods, to continue striving upon increasing/ bettering the customer experience at all of its stores. Whole Foods, has a strong customer base,

Injuries due to repeated movements - You may also receive injuries on the job due to repeated movements that can cause damage to the muscles, tendons or the nerves. Common types of injuries include carpel tunnel syndrome, trigger finger or

OSHA’s rules dictate that it is the employer’s responsibility to have ways to avoid workers from getting injured for standing for a long period of time with padded floor mats or seating. Also employers are responsible for having a way that cashiers have ease of reach. Employers of retail establishments protect their workers by have rotating belts that bring items closer ot they only have a short counter to reach from. Employers also make sure to give their employees padded flooring. Employees protect themselves by purchasing the correct footwear and doing stretched whenever it is

Walmart identifies many different risks and hazards that an employee may face during work and believe that employees need to be aware of them. These hazards can be identified in various forms such as: physical, ergonomic, chemical, psychological, and safety/security

From a strategic perspective, I believe that Whole Foods is executing at an extremely high level. Currently, Whole Foods is the market leader in its niche (organic food). Whole Foods has an international presence while also boasting some of the largest shop sizes compared that of its rivals. This allows for products from all over the world to be stored on their shelves while also allowing for more exotic displays to show off their products. Profits have “grown at a compound average rate of 30.4 percent” and it also has one of the strongest social media presences all of retailers in the world.

Whole Foods Market Inc. is known as America’s healthiest grocery store. The company has been recognized as “Most Admired 2015 Companies” and “Top 100 Companies to Work For” by Fortune for eighteen years, stating, “The supermarket chain has redefined grocery shopping in the U.S”. The establishment has been also been ranked at number 3 on the list of America’s most reputable companies in the retail industry. The recognitions and awards represent the decades of passion and dedication of the Whole Foods Market’s

A weakness that Whole Foods have is their reputation. A reputation for a grocer is key to its survival and they have the reputation of being very expensive or some call it “whole paycheck.”

As of September 2015 Whole Foods Incorporated had 431 stores in the United States, Britain and Scotland. Over the years since its inception Whole Foods Incorporated has grown steadily recording high revenues that have made it to be recognized as a Fortune 500 company. It has accomplished this by sticking to its original mission of retailing organic foods in a market where other retail stores mainly retail processed foods that are high in calories and hydrogenated fats. During the 2008 recession, revenues in Whole Foods Inc. dropped as this company struggled to meet its operation costs with a receding number of shoppers, this caused the company to close some of its stores in Britain for failing to meet is profitability targets (Market, 2008).

The origin of Whole Foods Market began as a small natural food store under the name Safer Way Natural Foods in Austin, Texas, in 1980. As interest in the natural food movement quickly grew, Safer Way soon merged with another local natural grocer. This union was called Whole Foods Market (“Newsroom,” 2015). Though the company started with a mere 19 employees, attraction to this new idea grew rapidly, and it was not long before the company began to build a chain of stores through several acquisitions. Due to the increased interest in natural foods nationwide and very low competition at the time, Whole Foods Market began acquiring food stores all over the nation throughout the 1990s. By 2004, the company had expanded internationally to Canada and the UK “Newsroom,” 2015). Today the company has 414 stores in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom, and approximately 88,000 team members (“Newsroom,” 2015).

Operator falls can result as the worker ascends or descends into the driver cab or is ejected from the vehicle in the event of a collision or other incident. Forklift trucks may overturn as a result of overload, unequal center of gravity of the load or travel over an uneven surface causing the vehicle to topple over. Forty-two percent of forklift fatalities are caused by the operator trying to jump from a tipping vehicle. Wearing your seat belt is the best safety measure. Pedestrian co-workers, without adequate preventative measures, are at risk from forklift collision or accidents associated with an unsafe load.

If upper shelves aren't well-secured or easy to access, employee injuries can also occur due to a tipping or falling unit. Hefting a heavy box too far overhead could strain your staff's necks and shoulders, and potentially even tip the entire storage unit. When the shelves below the top are tall and wide enough to accommodate larger boxes, your employees won't need to stretch to store them - they can stick to a manageable middle, instead. Smart, safe storage design comes from knowing your needs and implementing solutions accordingly - as well as adapting with the right accessories during your storage optimization.