Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Bjs Whsl Club Hldgs
Search every verified Mark Griffin interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Mark Griffin, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at BJ's Wholesale Club, discussed talent management and leadership on the podcast "Growing Your Business with People" in September 2023. He stated that the most effective recruiting strategy is hiring strong leaders whom people want to work for, as such leaders attract talent through their networks and reputation. Griffin emphasized that while competitive compensation is necessary to attract candidates, culture is what retains employees, and he noted that exit data typically shows people leave due to their direct leader or company culture rather than pay. Griffin described the CEO as the "chief people officer" who sets and drives culture, with the HR leader partnering to align people strategy with business goals. He advocated for HR leaders to "earn their seat at the table" by ensuring their work directly supports business outcomes. Reflecting on the pandemic, Griffin said BJ's capitalized on the opportunity to demonstrate care for team members' health and well-being, which he believes contributed to the company's success. He also stressed the importance of listening to employee feedback and following up with visible actions, using a "you said, we heard, we did" approach to build trust.
“The best recruiting I have seen is hiring great leaders who people want to work for them and then you know what you hire them and they come with a Rolodex and more importantly they come with people that want to work for them and they're usually the leaders that have brought people with them into multiple organizations.”
“If the HR person is not willing to have that tough discussion then you know who is and so I think it's an important role that HR plays.”
“With this market going so fast I mentioned rate and pay and compensation but that just gets people in the door because every company is looking at raising rates and making sure they have the right compensation in place. It's the culture you build that's how you keep people.”
“People usually don't leave for money as their first priority. Certainly some do but all the exit data we've looked at over the years, leaving for more pay is usually not number one. It's usually the leader or lack of leadership from their direct leader or it's the culture and the environment of the company.”
About the Guest(s): Mark Griffin is the Chief Human Resources Officer at BJ's Wholesale Club and former Senior Vice President of ...... I have Mark Griffin he's the chief human resource officer at BJ's Wholesale Club and formerly the senior vice president of HR for ...
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