It is a popular belief that working in retail is soul-destroying, with workers having to endure difficult customers and, of course, working unsociable hours and kissing goodbye to weekends and holidays.
There is some semblance of truth in that, but when the employee feels valued and supported by the company they work for, they are best placed to deal with any challenges that come their way. When retail workers are engaged, they provide a better experience to the customer which, in twine, makes for a better reputation for the company.
It makes sense to recognise the importance of your retail employees as they are the face of your company.
Motivation in Retail Industry
In the UK, the retail industry is a young workforce with 54% of employees aged 34 or younger in retail jobs in London. The same research shows that only 11% of retail workers are aged 55 and over, suggesting that, for most workers, the retail industry is not considered to be a career of choice.
Working in retail is attractive to young people seeking employment around their studies or after leaving education. Generally, this is a job that workers take on as they work towards their desired career outside of working hours.
The main motivation, as is the case in any industry, is to earn money – that’s a given – but it takes more than a weekly/monthly wage to motivate retail employees to be their best. Having a positive company culture where employees feel valued is the best way to engage your employees, potentially convincing them that the retail industry is a good and rewarding career choice.
Way to Engage Your Retail Employees
There are many ways that you can engage and motivate your employees, letting them know that they are valued members of the company. Below are just some of the different actions you can take:
Give Employees Free Products
Giving your employees free products has a mutual benefit. The employee receives something for their hard work and dedication to the company (this could be tied in as part of a reward strategy), while they can draw upon their own first-hand experience of the product should they be asked by a customer. Therefore, your employee benefits from one of the perks of working for the company, which has the positive knock-on effect of providing a better service to your customers.
Publish Shifts Sooner Than Later
One of the biggest banes of a retail employee’s life is feeling as though they cannot make plans in advance in case they have to work. In the retail industry, it is understood that flexibility is expected, but employees are entitled to having a life outside of the shop. Publishing the team’s schedule in advance provides employees with the opportunity to make plans around their shifts, as well as asking to swap shifts with employees in good time if necessary. If your employee is told they must work on a Saturday, cancelling their plans, with just a few days’ notice is a recipe for losing a good worker.
Invest in Your Employees’ Development
Help your staff to grow and develop skills, even if those skills are not a prerequisite for their current role. The teenager working behind the till could grow into a valuable member of your marketing team and, if you recognise their talents and give them an opportunity (where others wouldn’t) they are more likely to stay with the company. When a company invests in developing its staff, the staff will be highly motivated and engaged.
Recognise Your Staff
Staff recognition is incredibly important in all industries, but especially retail. As already mentioned, retail workers can often find themselves having to deal with challenges that workers in other industries likely wouldn’t – or at least as much. In customer-facing roles, retail workers are required to keep their focus and cool, even in the most challenging of situations. Rewarding staff with personalised glass plaques or awards when they hit their targets, go above and beyond, or any other company awards, will go a long way to let them know that they are valued for what they do.
Create Connections Across Shifts
Due to the nature of retail industry scheduling, your company is likely to have employees that rarely, if ever, meet. Activities that bring everyone together can only be a positive for the company, although bringing employees on opposite shifts together will, of course, require getting someone to agree to something outside of normal working hours. If closing the store and organising an activity, such as a team-building event, during reasonable hours is an option then this may be the best way of going about bringing all your members of staff together.
No matter how you go about trying to engage your employees, always consider who your workers are and what interests they have. Not everyone is the same and, as we already know, retail workers are likely to be towards the younger end of the scale so you will do well to keep this in mind.
Whether you organise a company-wide event, present deserving staff with glass awards or provide development opportunities, your staff will appreciate the company making an effort above the bare minimum.
