GLOBAL FEATURE
T he retail workforce has radically changed in the last four years . In markets where stores closed due to Covid , millions of workers left the industry , leading to ongoing labour shortages and increased competition for applicants . At the same time , retail continues to undergo massive disruption , so hiring and retaining highly skilled staff is more vital than ever to an organisation ’ s success .
It ’ s clear that having a great workplace culture is key to attracting top talent , but what does this look like in retail and who is doing it well ?
We spoke with experts from leading global consultancies Qualtrics and Culture Amp , and reviewed the latest research , to understand the impact on employee engagement of six key factors : training and development ; remuneration and recognition ; health and wellbeing ; diversity , equity and inclusion ; innovation ; and social impact and sustainability . We also examine what is considered best practice in each of these areas today .
This feature is not meant to be a ranking of the best places to work in retail . Few businesses excel in every area listed above . Instead , we have chosen to highlight retailers that are known for doing one thing particularly well and explain what other businesses can learn from them .
We hope these examples spark some ideas for how you can enhance the workplace culture within your own organisation .
Training and development
Training and development has always played a role in retail workplaces . Historically , most large retailers have had a graduate program for young professionals aspiring to leadership positions , and it ’ s still relatively common for retail CEOs and other executives to work their way up from the shop floor .
The business case for training and development is clear ; what kind of organisation doesn ’ t want to upskill its staff ? But the benefits for employee engagement are also worth considering .
Culture Amp data shows that development is the second-biggest driver of employee engagement , and companies that focus on it have employees that are 14.6 percentage points more engaged than those who don ’ t .
For one thing , many people find the process of learning new skills or improving their existing ones to be inherently motivating and they tend to experience greater job satisfaction when they feel like they can do their job well . Equipping team members to adapt to changes in the workplace can also help prevent burnout . But as people ’ s attitudes about work evolve , the basic training and development programs of the past may no longer be sufficient to attract and retain top talent .
“ It used to be , ‘ Give me the skills I need to do my job ,’ and that was enough . Now , that just meets the bare minimum . We see that as pretty much standard ,” Chloe Hamman , director of people science in Culture Amp ’ s product group , told Inside Retail .
“ Now , people don ’ t necessarily care about getting promoted to the next role – I think that ' s another outcome of Covid – they want career progression that is aligned with the contribution they want to make in the world .”
The data backs this up . Culture Amp ’ s research shows that companies with managers who show an interest in their direct reports ’ career aspirations have employees that are 15.6 percentage points more engaged . Conversely , when a manager
doesn ’ t show interest in their career , direct reports are 43 per cent more likely to leave .
The challenge for businesses – and managers in particular – is figuring out how to scale this more individualised approach to development . “ If I was a manager , I ' d be learning how to do job crafting ,” Hamman noted .
At an organisational level , some businesses are already starting to bring together their workforce planning and training and development teams to ensure they have the skills they need to achieve their goals and meet employees ’ changing objectives .
“ It ' s looking at what skills the business needs , what are the individual needs of people , what are the skills and talents of the workforce we have , and how can we make all these things fit together while futureproofing ourselves ?” Hamman said .
The best organisations are already doing this , she added . “ If you still have a company where you ' ve got your headcount conversations happening over here and your [ learning and development ] L & D person does their separate thing , that is problematic . Those things need to come together .”
18 www . insideretail . asia August 2024