CarMax, founded more than three decades ago, has grown to become the countryâs largest retailer of used cars. CarMax leaders credit the companyâs success to its commitment to innovation and customer experiences, along with core values of doing the right thing, putting people first, winning together and going for greatness.
Craig Cronheim, Chief Human Resources Officer
How do you ensure employees feel heard, valued and supported in their roles while fostering open communication at all levels of the organization?
Our leadership team actively listens to the feedback from our associates in a number of ways. We conduct associate voice surveys in which they can share how they are feeling. Doing these surveys regularly is important because we want to acknowledge their feedback by turning it into action. We pride ourselves on how accessible our leaders are.
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What initiatives or policies do you have in place to promote work-life balance for employees?
In addition to our benefits offerings, our associates and up to five members of their family have access to the Headspace app, which has tools to improve mindfulness and general well-being. Weâve also added two new benefit offerings focused on counseling and support services for improving mental health. We also have a strong paid time off and leave program and are flexible when it comes to managing work and home life.
How has your company adapted to the evolving expectations around remote and flexible work?
We feel it is important to form genuine relationships with people, whether with our associates or our customers, though we realize there is no one approach that works best for everyone. Some associates work on a hybrid schedule where there are opportunities for collaboration, engagement and productivity in person. We have associates who are completely remote, but we still find ways for virtual collaboration and engagement. For those on site, we are flexible in terms of scheduling and allowing them time off or to swap shifts. We want our associates to feel included and connected no matter where, when or how they work.
How is your company leveraging emerging technologies such as AI to drive efficiency and innovation while maintaining a strong human-centered workplace culture?
Weâve been leveraging AI for years. Itâs helped with improving the effectiveness of our associate and customer experience, as well as the efficiency of our business. A good example of this is our new knowledge system that we are testing in our Customer Experience Centers. This tool leverages generative AI to empower associates with instant access to the information they need and is especially helpful for associates to answer customer questions where the responses vary from state to state.
Why is it important for your organization to have a workforce that reflects a variety of perspectives and backgrounds?
At CarMax, we want everyone everywhere to have the same opportunity to reach their full potential. Having different perspectives and backgrounds allows us to be stronger and more innovative and expand our values to our customers. When everyone feels welcomed, supported and valued, we are better able to also understand and value the individual experiences, perspectives and backgrounds of our customers.
