Are your staff happy? Many retail stores across Australia need to do more to retain good staff, according to recent data from Mercer showing that retailers are failing to make the most of their workforce. This is particularly pertinent as the embattled retail sector faces trading through the busiest shopping period, Christmas and Boxing Day sales.
Mercer’s What’s Working survey conducted in early 2011 found that only 41.9 percent of respondents from the retail sector felt their organisation did a good job of retaining its most talented people, and for the 70.9 percent of respondents who held a non-management position, less than half felt their manager played an active role in their personal career development.
Mercer’s Human Capital Business Leader for Australia and New Zealand, Rob Bebbington, said retailers fighting to maintain growth and competing within tough price wars are failing to appreciate their key selling point, customer service.
With falling consumer confidence and increased competition from online retailing and overseas brands, staff engagement is more critical than ever to ensure businesses offer above-average service to savvy shoppers.
“Happy staff means happy customers. Without properly engaging with current workers and providing employees with adequate career opportunities, any hope for growth will be thwarted by disengagement and apathy and will ultimately impact retailer’s bottom line," said Bebbington.
In detail
Fewer than half the respondents have been part of a formal review in the past 12 months
52 percent don’t feel senior management are doing a good job of confronting issues before they become major problems
49.8 percent don’t trust management to communicate honestly
84.1 percent of employees are unhappy with childcare support
83.3 percent are dissatisfied with employee assistance plans
A notable result is the dissatisfaction of women retail staff, who make up a significant portion of the sector.
“A lack of support and career development opportunities for female workers in this sector poses significant challenges for those looking for the next generation of female leaders in coming years,” said Bebbington.
7 tips to keep staff happy
Understand what motivates your workforce
Be innovative with ways to improve engagement, performance and productivity
Ask employees to comment anonymously through a suggestion box and implement affordable, good ideas
Cross-train: develop the skills of all employees and raise engagement. Workers may feel more enthusiastic towards their role or decide to utilise these new skills for an alternative position within the organisation, increasing staff retention
Find ways to reward employees – an extra day off, a gift certificate or an inexpensive gift
Present company challenges publicly when possible; this improves communication and allows staff to suggest possible solutions
Provide all employees with regular feedback; include job performance and an opportunity to self critique areas for improvement
Source:http://www.franchise.net.au/Article/How-to-keep-your-staff-and-keep-them-happy-7-top-tips/532964.aspx
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