Hy-Vee Adopts Platform to Communicate With Associates

Hy-Vee Inc. is launching Retail Zipline’s communication platform across its entire company to directly communicate with its more than 85,000 employees during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and beyond. When the current crisis ends, the platform will remain as the primary communication method to ensure that all stores meeting brand standards. Hy-Vee is the first grocer to launch Retail Zipline’s platform.

With COVID-19 safety protocols evolving daily, essential retailers such as Hy-Vee require a reliable and consistent way to communicate with all employees throughout the company. Using Retail Zipline, the grocer’s employees now have a streamlined way to access messages from company leaders and supervisors via the platform’s desktop website and/or mobile application, and a centralized place to view everything that must be done in-store. The platform permits Hy-Vee to communicate directly and track execution of store protocols, health and safety guidelines, best practices, in-store tasks, and more.

“All of our employees play a crucial role in how we are responding to COVID-19, which is why it’s imperative we invest in them and provide them with the necessary resources to do their jobs in the best way possible,” observed Jessica Ringena, Hy-Vee’s SVP, finance and business strategy. “Retail Zipline allows our corporate team to communicate with every single employee to make sure everyone receives the same message and executes new protocols or receives the latest company news in a timely fashion.”

Retail Zipline provides a central place for corporate offices to reach and engage with employees on critical issues by sending messages, assigning tasks and tracking execution at all levels, as well as to all locations throughout a company.

To mark the new partnership, Retail Zipline is supporting Hy-Vee’s current food bank campaign, which has set a goal to raise $1 million for food banks across the Midwestern grocer’s eight-state region by May 31. For every new Hy-Vee platform user who signs up between now and May 31, Retail Zipline will donate $1, up to $25,000, to the campaign. Hy-Vee will then match Retail Zipline’s contribution dollar for dollar to help food banks feeding those in need during the pandemic.

“Our goal at Retail Zipline is to ease communication challenges for brands so employees in the field are safe and empowered to do their best work, which has never been more critical,” noted Melissa Wong, CEO and co-founder of the San Francisco-based company. “We are proud to partner with a company that’s passionate about the well-being of its employees as well as its local communities, which is why we’re committed to supporting Hy-Vee’s fundraising initiative to provide food to those in need.” 

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 12 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.