Labor & Employment

Mooresville, N.C. - Ross W. (Bill) McCanless will be joining Lowe’s Companies Inc. as general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer, effective Jan. 12, 2015. McCanless will replace Gaither M. Keener, who announced plans to retire from the company following 30 years of service.

Hamilton, Bermuda – Signet Jewelers Ltd. has named Daniel Shull as its first CIO effective Jan. 5, 2015. As CIO, Shull will be responsible for Signet's IT systems across its three divisions.

Merrimack, N.H. -- Brookstone Inc. will appoint senior retail executive Thomas M. Via as president and CEO, and as a member of its board of directors, effective Dec. 1. Steven H. Schwartz, who had been serving as interim CEO, will resume his role as chief merchandising officer.  

As a focus area of retail technology, workforce management may not be quite as sexy as CRM or omnichannel commerce. However, a lot of very exciting stuff is currently happening in the world of workforce management, as attendees of the recent KronosWorks 2014 conference in Las Vegas discovered. Here is a brief summary of three of the hottest current workforce management trends.  

Los Angeles -- Ralphs Grocery Co. said it will hire to fill an estimated 1,200 permanent positions at its stores in Southern California. Ralphs currently employs more than 19,000 associates at its stores in the region.  

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. retail sales edged up in October, according to a report released by the Commerce Department, evidence that recent job gains and lower gas prices are lifting consumer spending as the holiday shopping season begins. Retail sales rose 0.3% last month after falling by the same amount in September. Excluding gas stations, where falling prices lowered spending, sales rose a solid 0.5%.  

Bentonville, Ark. -- For the third consecutive year, Wal-Mart workers at about 1,600 stores are prepping to protest on Black Friday to demand better wages and benefits.   According to pressure group OUR Walmart, the protestors are demanding a $15/hour wage and consistent full-time hours.  

Las Vegas –- At the recent KronosWorks 2014 conference in Las Vegas, clients across a variety of industries spoke about how they use Kronos solutions to better perform a variety of human resources and workforce management tasks.  

San Jose, Calif. -- West Coast sandwich operator Togo's Eateries, Inc. has named Jim Peros as its new COO, charged with overseeing all operations and the expansion of the brand's restaurants throughout the West.   

Books-A-Million has appointed Ronald J. Domanico to serve as a member of the board and a member of the audit committee of the board.

“We are very fortunate to have identified a director of the caliber and experience that Ron possesses,” said Clyde B. Anderson, the executive chairman of the board of directors of the company. “Ron is a seasoned financial executive that brings a depth of experience in finance, strategy, and operational matters to our board.”