Recruiting and retaining employees in today’s retail landscape is increasingly challenging, creating a need for new approaches to enhance employee satisfaction. Although stores across Europe are open and fully operational, the retail industry continues to face significant challenges that hinder growth and profitability.
A key issue is the ongoing difficulty in attracting and retaining talent, a concern for European retailers. While there’s no simple solution, prioritising employee satisfaction will be essential for success in 2024 and forward.
Martin Johnsen
Customer Success Manager,
SameSystem
Martin Johnsen is Customer Success Manager at SameSystem and has worked in the retail industry for more than two decades. In his experience, digitalisation is one way to boost engagement and job satisfaction.
“Digitalisation might not solve every issue related to employee retention, but it is possible to make a positive difference”, he says.
Mobile-first approach to retail
But where to start? According to Johnsen, smartphones are an obvious and cost-effective way to engage employees.
“Everybody carries their phones with them all the time, and retailers might as well use it to their advantage. By giving employees the option to solve everyday tasks on their phones, it is possible to limit the amount of time they spend on repetitive tasks.”
An example of this is software that allows employees to update price tags on their phones. It could also be workforce management features that make it possible to request shift swaps or request vacation.
“These kinds of features both save time for employees and ease the hassle. For instance, if it is easy to request vacation, employees are more likely to do it right away, and there are fewer things to remember and worry about, minimising frustrations.”
Smooth communication
One of the most effective ways to retain employees is to build trusting relationships between managers and employees. To achieve this goal, you need clear and efficient communication.
“There are a lot of great communication tools to help ease misunderstandings and conflicts. With a workforce management solution like SameSystem, for instance, managers and employees can pass on information easily and swiftly,” Johnsen says.
“Schedules are updated automatically, and it is possible to send push notifications if there is something employees need to know. Everything is updated in real-time, which means employees always have the information they need.“
Create transparency
Track time and attendance digitally and increase employee satisfaction. Although it sounds like a contradiction, there is truth to it.
“When employees check in and out on their phones, they both save time, and they can easily keep track of their own hours, which creates security,” says Johnsen.
“It also has the potential to create a better work environment because attendance tracking rewards loyal employees. There is nothing worse than working tirelessly and seeing people who always show up late be recognised the same.”
