The retail industry is a highly competitive and fast-moving business. Competition has intensified in recent years. Many stores have shortened their opening hours or closed completely because they don’t have enough staff to serve their customers. This makes the competition for good employees all the fiercer. After all, they play a key role in determining the success or failure of a store. Companies that create a motivating employee experience benefit from lower staff turnover, less stress, more commitment, and higher customer satisfaction.
Appropriate remuneration and social benefits are basic requirements for a healthy working relationship. There are also many other ways in which companies can increase incentives for applicants and employees.
Flexible Working Conditions
Flexible working time models have become indispensable today and are of crucial importance for a company and its employees. Offer flexible working options to give your staff a better work-life balance.
Training and Career Development Opportunities
Encourage your team to be successful and stay motivated through training and further education. Make sure that everyone knows the products they are selling. The more knowledgeable they are, the better they can help customers. Provide training on customer retention and upselling techniques to improve your team’s performance. Identify potential managers and offer them management training. Internal promotions are useful to reduce turnover and build a strong, loyal team. Look at my Mindstep Academy for sales and management staff.
Recognition and Reward
Working in retail can be unrewarding. Sales staff are confronted with demanding customers, irregular working hours, and stressful periods. Motivation can suffer over time as a result. Managers must ensure that employees feel valued. Recognition can significantly increase employee commitment. In addition to cash bonuses, you can, for example, nominate a team member of the month. Or use your online tools to distribute kudos. This is a quick and easy way to let your employees and colleagues know their hard work is noticed and appreciated.
Strengthen Communication
Make open communication part of your corporate culture and exemplify it from day one of the onboarding process. Open and regular communication is the key to committed employees. Feedback is crucial for development. This is all the truer when team members don’t always work the same shifts. Good communication ensures that everyone is kept in the loop and promotes team spirit and a sense of belonging. Give employees an easy way to communicate with their direct superiors and colleagues.
Make Communication Mobile
Retail jobs are inherently mobile positions that offer little to no desk work. For this reason, team communication via email or desktop apps is generally not the most effective solution. Generally, everyone has a mobile device with them. Use mobile apps (e.g. for scheduling work hours, team chats, …) that allow employees to access information at any time.
Listen to your Employees
Employees see things that remain hidden from management. They know how things work and have insight into details of daily processes that can save the company time and money. Finding, correcting and improving these areas requires eyes everywhere. Team members’ ideas can help increase profits.
Foster Social Relations
Social relationships are an important factor in employee engagement. Who doesn’t prefer to go to work when friendly colleagues are waiting there? So, encourage personal interaction. Provide your team with a nice break room (preferably with free drinks and fruit, etc.), plan social outings with the whole team, especially when new employees come on board, or donate pastries for everyone on birthdays.
Get rid of Employees who do not fit into the Team
Sometimes it takes courage to make a hard cut. If someone just doesn’t fit into the team, poisons the atmosphere in the team, and jeopardizes the motivation of the other colleagues, there is sometimes only one way: to say goodbye. Your team will thank you for it.
Increasing employee engagement doesn’t necessarily mean more cost or time, and in the long run, the benefits will outweigh the cost. Create a work environment where everyone feels truly valued. With a culture of appreciation, you will build a team that is committed, motivated, and willing to give their best at work.
Finally: satisfied employees = satisfied customers.