Reshamar Short wondered if he was in trouble. He was in high school in Mississippi then, working as a courtesy clerk at the local Kroger, and one of his customers headed to the front office to talk to the supervisor. As it turned out, that customer — a district manager — had been impressed with the teen and was wondering why he wasn’t in a position with more responsibility.
What started as a part-time job to help Short pay for fun activities quickly turned into something more. He found a supportive community of people from different generations and backgrounds, all with common focus and goals.
Then, with the loss of his mother to cancer a year later, that community stepped in as a true second family — and even suggested and helped facilitate a transfer to Memphis, Tenn., so he could continue his employment with Kroger while there in college.
Some 30 years later, Short is now senior director of talent acquisition and diversity at Kroger.
“There was continuity just because of people taking genuine interest in me and giving me thoughts, tips and ideas I wasn’t thinking of myself,” he says.
When Short looks around Kroger, he sees many leaders who have been with the company “20, 40, 50, even 60” years. He attributes that to a variety of factors, from culture to diversity. And he means “diversity” in numerous ways.
“We are diverse by design,” he says. It’s not just different regions and different banners such as Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, Fry's, Harris Teeter and a variety of others depending on the area. It’s also the reaffirmation of diversity and inclusion as a company value. Newsweek named The Kroger Co. one of "America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity" for 2024.
“People live it, and they lead with it,” he says. “It’s real. It’s not just a poster on the wall or some performative gesture.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years wage and salary workers have been with the same company was 3.9 in January 2024, down from 4.1 two years prior. In retail, the average job tenure as of 2024 was 2.9 years.
So, what is it that makes people stay? Short highlights culture. Others talk about clear opportunities for growth and promotion, alignment with personal values, variety in job roles and responsibilities, and even leadership that saw things they hadn’t seen in themselves.
“I get chills when I think about how I almost left,” says Harvey Russell, retiring manager of culinary at McDonald’s. Russell started working maintenance at the corporate headquarters in 1989 after a year at a franchised restaurant.
“But I didn’t leave, and it’s the best choice I ever made. Ultimately, my management saw the impact I made around the kitchens and continued to invest in me, so I knew it was the right place for me, and stayed to build a long-term career here.”
Russell always had his own vision and made sure to leave his mark on projects, he says, “and people applauded that and helped me continue to move forward.”
Russell’s roles have included property management in addition to maintenance, food technologist and food supervisor. He worked on the Leaps and Bounds indoor play-place team and the Hearth Express hearth-baked bread project. Some roles were challenging due to personalities on the team, he says, though he learned “a great deal” and stretched his skills.
He has enjoyed his most recent job in menu innovation the most. He’s been able to meet “amazing people” and to travel, including going to the opening ceremony of the London Olympics and seeing Queen Elizabeth II.
“But most importantly,” he says, “I’ve been able to be part of some great day-to-day relationships in this role.” McDonald’s offers recognition programs including sabbaticals, internal awards and incentive plans based on tenure, he says, and the company encourages camaraderie and team-building.
Looking back, he says, he would tell that young worker in his early days to keep praying to get himself through the tough times. “I’d also tell him to keep it real,” he says. “Some days are hard, and that’s OK. You may not get along with everyone, and that’s OK. Don’t let that stuff stress you out. Just keep it real.”
Erin McNamara, in the meantime, would give her younger self the same advice she gives herself today: “Be open to learning and be open to change.”
McNamara, who is senior vice president, brand and product strategy at American Eagle Outfitters, would also tell that young woman to leverage the skillset she knew she had. “I had mentors and bosses who really pulled it out of me,” she says. “But I would tell 20-year-old me to do that more off the bat. You know yourself better than anyone, and you know what you bring to the table.”
"You know yourself better than anyone, and you know what you bring to the table.”
McNamara joined the company as an assistant buyer trainee fresh out of college in 2005. The company came onto the University of Pittsburgh campus, where she was studying business marketing. She was interested in working in retail buying and fashion, and AEO was “a cool brand I grew up loving.” She also was intrigued by the employees she met.
“Everyone wonders if the grass is greener in some spots,” she says. “But I have always loved what I was doing here, and I feel like I’ve been consistently challenged throughout my career. I feel like I still have lots to learn.” She also has loved the people she has worked with, so she’s “never really been given a reason to leave.”
The “people piece” is strong at AEO, creating a “better together” culture of partnership and collaboration, even across fences, she says. McNamara often talks to newcomers about the company being a wonderful place to grow a career and to carve a unique path.
Scott McBride, head of global asset protection at AEO, also considers the company a place to “grow and thrive.” He’s been with AEO for more than 30 years, starting as a part-time store associate in 1993. Back then, he says, it was more a mall-based outdoors and specialty retailer than the global company it has become.
McBride had already served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked a couple of other jobs, and it wasn’t long after joining AEO that he was promoted to assistant store manager and then store manager. When the company expanded and its new CEO determined asset protection was needed, McBride was tapped as an ideal candidate for the team.
“I said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have never heard of that career, ever.’” But he was older and more mature than the average store manager, and he was willing. The new head of asset protection at the time had also worked his way up through the retail ranks, and had a military background of his own.
“I equate my philosophy of internal promotion, not only for myself but also for my team, to the military,” McBride says. “There’s never been a sergeant major that wasn’t a private. There’s never been a general that wasn’t a lieutenant. The military creates their own leaders, and develops their own talent within their ranks. They teach, they train, they challenge people to do more, better, farther, whatever it is that they perceive the need. They will put people in charge of it and then figure it out.”
He does everything possible, he says, to help bring people up, including encouragement and mentoring.
McBride, who has eight direct reports and oversees about 100 people within asset protection, also started an internal podcast, Keep People Informed. Over the past couple of years, he’s done more than 50 episodes with volunteers from his department and business partners.
“It does two things,” he says. “It not only helps us tell the story about longevity, but also about their value. It describes in a story format the value of this individual to the organization.” Guests talk about where they came from, what they do and what they’re excited about. It serves to educate the entire organization, McBride says, as well as “empowers and motivates the individual.”
McBride often contributes to the company’s Life@AEO internal communications platform, and he values creativity. He also values patience, and he encourages it in others.
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“You have to have the self-improvement engine really fired up all the time,” he says. When he hears someone ask, “When am I going to get … ” his thought is, “You’re going to get when you deserve. What have you done to deserve? Are you reading? Are you writing? Are you studying? Watching YouTube videos on things you don’t know anything about? How are you improving your value? Because now your thoughts are organized in a way that’s more effective for the organization and can be applied to what we do.”
Changing companies can certainly mean new opportunities. At the same time, when companies match awareness of employee strengths, training opportunities and clear paths for growth with employees who want to build on what’s already working, longevity and loyalty can be the result.
“I don’t know if I would have done anything different,” McNamara says. “I am pretty pleased with where the path has led me. And I am not bored.”