Employee turnover not a problem at family-focused Texas distributor

Dallas-based Hardie’s Fresh Foods doesn’t have any trouble with holding on to its employees.

The nearly 80-year-old food distributor has a 95% employee retention rate, according to a news release. This flies in the face of management consulting company Gartner’s prediction, released in April, that annual employee turnover rates in 2022 would likely jump nearly 20% — or even higher in some cases — above the pre-pandemic average turnover levels. 

“New employee expectations, and the availability of hybrid arrangements, will continue to fuel the rise in attrition,” Piers Hudson, senior director, said in Gartner’s April 28 announcement. “An individual organization with a turnover rate of 20% before the pandemic could face a turnover rate as high as 24% in 2022 and the years to come. For example, a workforce of 25,000 employees would need to prepare for an additional 1,000 voluntary departures.”

The employee retention rate at Hardie’s, however, has actually increased since the Gartner predication, the family-owned business announced Aug. 24. This is due in large part to the company’s innovative, family-friendly benefits, including an on-site health clinic at the Dallas headquarters, as well as a mobile unit in Austin, Texas. The company plans to expand the clinic to its Houston location, as well, the release said. 

Most recently, more than 1,000 parents at the company were given free, back-to-school backpacks with school supplies for their kids.

“We’re a third-generation, family-owned business, so taking care of family is important to us,” said Jennifer Austin, vice president of benefits, in a news release. She’s also granddaughter of the company’s founder, John Hardie. “For parents stretching budgets to pay for groceries and gasoline, stocking up on even basic school supplies like a new backpack can be a challenge. We wanted to say 'thank you' to employees and their families, and being part of the excitement of the new school year is a fun way to do it.”

The company’s refrigerated warehouses in Dallas, Austin and Houston operate 24/7, requiring more than 700 highly-trained employees, the release said. Started in 1943, Hardie’s is now one of the largest distributors in Texas, providing fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meats and cheeses to restaurants, schools and hospitals across the state.