Expanding the labor pool might be good for your business and your community.

The December 2023 issue had a story from Stephenie Overman on hiring older workers, which showcased many benefits to hiring this generation, including their notable reliability. One simple change that the article suggested: Let them sit down. This accommodation can make a huge difference in whether someone can manage a full shift or not. And imagine the social good that might come with offering employment to people who thought they were “too old to work.”

In this issue, Overman looks at how to modify your hiring and operations to better support neurodiverse individuals. Her story, “Tapping the Neurodivergent Talent Pool,” has some practical tips along with great insights from operators in the field. It could be a double win: With some planning and accommodations, you may have a star employee, and the social good speaks for itself.

NACS Show will be here before you know it.”

Speaking of the convenience industry workforce … I’m so excited to debut a new element of the magazine. Check out “Faces of the Industry” on page 8. We’ll use this space to tell the stories of the people who make our industry great while doing our part to broadcast the message that c-store jobs are great jobs.

To stick with that theme: NACS Show will be here before you know it. The time is right to start planning your trip. We list all the scheduled education sessions starting on page 50. Four are on the workforce, covering these topics: training and development, recruiting, retaining frontline workers and reigniting passion in disengaged employees. If you haven’t registered yet, NACSShow.com is open around the clock.