Dec. 12, 2010

Los Angeles Times  

Target in Compton Helps Store Employees Tackle Their Personal Problems

When Target opened its Compton store, the company expected a higher risk of crime and took steps to address it – beefing up the store’s security detail and working with the city to get a sheriff’s substation on site. But it didn’t anticipate that its workforce – hired locally to provide the area with much-needed jobs – would be prone to absenteeism and turnover.

“There was domestic violence, teenage pregnancy. We’ve had situations where team members were homeless and living in their cars but still coming to work,” said Alice Reyes, head of human resources at the Compton Target. “More than half of my day was dealing with team member concerns. They needed someone to talk to, someone who would listen.”

So shortly after opening, Target contracted with ComPsych to provide GuidanceResources Onsite, a service that includes an in-store specialist who provides work-life services as well as connects Target employees with state and local assistance programs. ComPsych gave the assignment to Saundra Edwards based on her credentials and familiarity with the area and its issues.

The Compton store was the second Target to use GuidanceResources Onsite. Now 69 of the chain’s 1,752 locations use the program, and those branches reported a 17 percent average improvement in attendance scores in 2009 compared with the previous year.