New Survey Uncovers the Strategies to Engage and Retain Retail Employees
In the midst of 2020 frontline retail employees received more recognition for their work than ever before. But now that feels like a distant memory as their workloads remain piled high but the public praise for their labor has faded into the background once again.
Everyone is aware of the Great Resignation - the mass exodus from the workplace in the wake of the pandemic. Stories and reports in the media would suggest that industries employing frontline workers, such as retail and restaurants, are particularly vulnerable to this trend, as their hourly paid workers are desperate to find more stable work.
This is a myth.
A new survey by YOOBIC of 1,400 frontline workers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France uncovered that almost two-thirds of frontline workers want to remain in their current industry for at least another 4 years.
If employees like their jobs and want to stay loyal to their employers, why are they quitting?
Evidently employers are failing to provide a workplace experience that rewards, engages, and retains these vital frontline employees.
What retail workers want from their employers today:
The survey revealed that retailers can take key steps to satisfy the needs of their frontline teams and combat the great resignation.
Frontline workers crave fulfilling careers with employers that give them:
Efficient workload management.
81% of workers say they want managers to support them with upgraded processes to ensure teams aren’t overburdened.
Opportunities for growth.
More than half of employees feel their organizations are investing in them, but the survey revealed that 64% want even greater opportunities to keep learning and developing professionally.
Recognition.
The survey respondents ranked feeling valued and supported by management almost as highly as their wage! 59% say they feel proud of their jobs and 81% want their employers to clearly acknowledge their contributions and the value they bring.
A sense of a shared mission.
Of the frontline employees surveyed, 68% feel close to their coworkers, but they want their employers to do more to create connected workplaces and share HQ’s leadership vision with frontline teams.
Support and empathy.
69% feel they’ve been kept physically safe during the pandemic, but there was a consensus that the frontline teams would like their employers to do more to support their mental health and overall wellbeing.
How can a digital workplace solve these problems?
Frontline teams have expressed a desire to work alongside their employers to find the solutions to make the frontline employee experience better.
The survey showed that they feel that using new tools such as a digital workplace would make their roles more fulfilling, streamlining workflows, increasing a sense of belonging and boosting collaboration.
A survey by Coresight Research found that, of retailers who have implemented digital workplace tech for their frontline teams:
- 75% observed increased frontline employee engagement.
- 82% experienced an improvement in sales.
- 77% reduced time and effort needed to effectively skill, upskill and reskill staff
Bu how should employers go about using a digital workplace transform the frontline experience? Where to start?
To discover step by step how to put in place the solutions your frontline workers want to tackle the challenges they’re facing and give them the employee experience they deserve, download the full survey report.