How does Wegmans meet employees’ needs at every level of Maslow’s hierarchy?

"Wegmans paid 100 percent of its employees’ medical insurance premiums ( physiological needs ). Wegmans’ most comparable competitor has a turnover rate of about 19 percent, which doesn’t even come close to Wegmans’ 5 percent. More than half of Wegmans’ store managers began working there in their teens ( safety needs ). Because employees stay so long, the Wegmans culture has become stronger and more ingrained over time. Edward McLaughlin, director of Cornell’s Food Industry Management Program, says, “When you’re a 16-year- old kid, the last thing you want to do is wear a geeky shirt and work for a supermarket. But at Wegmans, it’s a badge of honor. You are not a geeky cashier. You are part of the social fabric,” ( social needs ). 1 Sara Goggins, a 19-year-old college student, was recently complimented on the display she helped prepare for the store’s French-inspired patisserie—by Danny Wegman himself ( esteem needs ). Sara keeps a photo of her and Danny Wegman behind the counter. Maria Benjamin used to bake “chocolate meatball cookies” to celebrate coworkers’ birthdays. They were so popular that she asked Danny Wegman if the store would sell them in the bakery department. He said yes, and it did. Employees like Sara and Maria are routinely recognized for their contributions to the company ( esteem needs ). Wegmans has spent over $54 million for college scholarships to more than 17,500 full- and part-time employees over the past 20 years. Top management thinks nothing of sending store department managers on training expeditions. A cheese manager might take a 10-day trip to visit and study cheesemakers in London, Paris, and Italy; a wine manager might take a company-sponsored trip through the Napa Valley ( self-actualization needs ). 2 As you can see from this extended example, Wegmans works hard to meet its employees’ needs at all levels. Maslow’s theory is not without criticism, however. Maslow claimed that a higher-level need was not activated until a lower-level need was met. He also claimed that a satisfied need is not a motivator. A farmer who has plenty to eat is not motivated by more food (the physiological hunger need). Research has not verified these principles in any strict sense. The theory also concentrates on moving up the hierarchy without fully addressing moving back down the hierarchy. Despite these limitations, Maslow’s ideas are very helpful for understanding the needs of people at work and for determining what can be done to satisfy them."