Zeynep Ton

Author, Speaker & Adjunct Associate Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Research
  • Media
    • Press
    • Videos
    • Media Kit
  • Contact

Why CEOs Should Follow the Market Basket Protests

July 25, 2014 by Zeynep Ton Leave a Comment

Somebody must have done something really right at Market Basket.

Thousands of the supermarket chain’s employees have organized rallies at their local stores and at the company’s headquarters during the last week. Were these employees rallying for higher wages, better benefits, and predictable schedules — the needs so many retail employees face? No, they were demonstrating to help their ousted CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas, get his job back (he was fired in June after coup led by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas).

At a time when we see so much division between CEOs who represent the 1% and their workers who representing the 99%, this is amazing.  Other CEOs should take heed.  Such support is priceless.

Market Basket is a profitable family-owned regional chain of 71 supermarkets in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, with around 25,000 employees. According to Forbes, it’s the 127th-largest private company in the United States, with $4.6 billion in revenue. It has a loyal customer base who value the chain’s low prices and good service — as evidenced by the thousands of customers who have signed petitions backing the employees. The combination of low prices and good service is delivered by a loyal, committed, and capable workforce. If you visit a Market Basket store, take a look at the employee name badges — which include length of employment — and you will likely be impressed by how long people have been working there.

Market Basket employees don’t seem to stick around just for the wages and good benefits, however. The rallies for Demoulas suggest that they truly believe in his leadership and the direction he set for the company.

Yet, as I visited Market Basket stores and talked to employees during the last two days, I saw that they are not just fighting for their ousted CEO and his leadership and guidance. They are fighting for their values, their culture. They are fighting to remain an organization that takes care of its customers and its employees, a place where they can be proud to work.

Several employees told me they worry that Market Basket will become like any other supermarket. They worry that to make a quick buck, the company will increase its prices or reduce its service or reduce employee benefits or profit-sharing — maybe all of these.

These employees recognize that a “good jobs strategy” that allows companies to deliver great returns to investors by taking care of employees and offering low prices and great service to customers is a rare strategy to see in their industry. They recognize that it is a strategy worth a fight. They are right.

 

This post first appeared on Harvard Business Review Blog Network.

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Filed Under: Good Jobs Strategy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS

Follow on Facebook

Topics

  • Case for Good Jobs
  • Good Jobs Strategy

Archives

  • February 2017
  • September 2015
  • May 2015
  • July 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • October 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • August 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010

Recent Comments

  • Here’s Who Gets Left Behind Corporate America’s Quest To Do Good – Fortune | 5DTV World Breaking News Update on The Good Jobs Strategy
  • Here’s Who Gets Left Behind Corporate America’s Quest To Do Good – Fortune | Everyday News Update on The Good Jobs Strategy
  • Would You Love Working Here? on The Good Jobs Strategy
  • Future of Work 2016: A Conversation Starting Reading List - Centre for Workplace Leadership on Blog
  • Future of Work 2016: A Conversation Starting Reading List - Centre for Workplace Leadership on The Good Jobs Strategy

Subscribe to the Mailing List

Join Zeynep's mailing list for occasional updates.

* indicates required

More from the Blog

  • Questions Investors Should Be Asking Low-Wage Employers February 7, 2017
  • The U.S. Needs a ‘Good Jobs’ Revolution in Retail September 6, 2015
  • Scoring Retailers on The Good Jobs Strategy September 6, 2015
  • Process tips for case method teaching May 31, 2015
  • Why CEOs Should Follow the Market Basket Protests July 25, 2014

Follow on Twitter

Tweets by @zeynepton

© Copyright 2025 Zeynep Ton. All Rights Reserved · Website by Moxie Design Studios