Free chocolate is a nice perk that is likely to get the attention of an applicant, but is it enough to keep employees long enough to have employee retention rates to brag about? Probably not. That takes the kind of fulfillment that even chocolate doesn’t provide … on a daily basis anyway. Mars Chocolate North America, the producer of M&M’s, Snickers, Dove, Milky Way, Twix, and many other chocolate treats, places a high priority on training and development, contributing to the longevity and loyalty of their employees. Tracy Wood, VP of People and Organization at Mars North America, says “Our stellar retention rate ties back to the fact that Mars invests in its people. I’ve personally experienced this investment, and I’ve witnessed other associates with similar stories of trying new jobs within the same segment; transferring to an entirely different segment; or moving to a new state, country, or continent.”34 Wood herself benefitted from Mars employee development programs, starting as an HR manager in Mars’ Australia petcare division, (Pedigree dog food, Temptations cat treats) and moving through positions in different divisions and countries until finally landing in her current position. Another example of employee development is the career path of Lisa Schroeder, Associate Scientist and Descriptive Panel Manager at Mars Chocolate.35 Schroeder had a secretarial background when she applied to be a taste tester at Mars in 2000. Her background wasn’t important, she explains. She was hired for ability, not experience. “The first step of the hiring process is to fill out a screener, which asks questions to find out how you describe food and your experience with tasting food…. Once you’re selected as a taste tester, you go through a six‐month intensive training program to learn how to become a Mars taste tester.”36 After 4 years as a tester, she was promoted to a role as a sensory technician and trainer for the descriptive analysis panel who help maintain the quality of Mars Chocolate products. She’s proud of her work, explaining “Mars Chocolate has given me the opportunity to travel nationally and globally to share best practices, helping to ensure that wherever around the world you taste a Mars Chocolate product, the quality and experience are just the same.”37 Her favorite chocolate? Dove, a Mars product of course.”
- “What training methods would be most effective to train the taste testers? How would you implement a training program for the taste testers using the ADDIE method?
- The role of a taste tester and sensory technician requires extensive training, yet the taste is a tough thing to standardize and describe. Discuss how each of the levels in Kirkpatrick’s model could be applied to the training for the positions. Would another evaluation method be more relevant? Explain.
- Evaluate the Employee Development methods used to help Wood and Schroeder reach their current positions.
- Explain the elements of training and development that Mars should focus on as employees such as Wood are transferred to different divisions globally.
- Access the careers section of the Mars.com site for Mars North America. What evidence do you see that Mars exhibits characteristics of a “Learning Organization”? “
