3 Ways Retailers Can Strengthen Employee Retention and Engagement

Employees are an investment to any business – yet too often, busy retailers overlook the value in hiring, training, retaining and strengthening their employees simply due to their seemingly nonstop schedules. This does not enhance retail experiences, plus can actually costmerchants money and time. As a result, merchants risk compromising their store productivity and overall success opportunities – as well as risk losing staff that may be worth investing in.

To help your store improve on employee retention and engagement, consider the following three tips.

Tip #1: Set Clear Employee Expectations  

Employees are not always proactive in their efforts when it comes to supporting store needs.  Even those with go-getter attitudes can often be unclear of what needs to be done unless they are clearly identified. Keeping this in mind, make sure your store provides a clear template to what employees should do. From opening store procedures to closing store responsibilities and every step in between, identify what your expectations are per each position in your store. Providing a checklist that needs to be initialed as completed can help serve as a guide for employees, as can an employee handbook that clarifies all tasks your store needs to be done. From processing payments to balancing inventory to merchandising displays to cleaning common areas to locking up the store at the end of the day, no detail is too small to share. Set standards that you expect to be met – then make sure they are actually being met along the way.

Tip #2: Schedule Employee Trainings

Providing training opportunities that identify standards in your store is among the best ways you can strengthen your business operations. The time spent sharing this insight with your employees will prove to benefit your store when their performances are stronger thanks to your leadership and the clear standards you’ve set. Additionally, the time you invest in training your employees will pay you back due to their improved performances. Whether you have a new hire to fill an empty role or introduce seasonal employees, providing trainings that highlight everything from store policies to customer care expectations to merchandising standards and more, trainings provide clarity and direction for employees to feel empowered and informed to better support your business.  Plus, trainings offer an opportunity to strengthen employee morale while also introducing team bonding moments. You should aim to make your trainings both informative and productive, but don’t overlook the value in making them energetic and fun, as well. By training your employees to not only understand your store expectations but to also care about your store, you’ll be better positioned to support customers, improve productivity and deliver a stronger overall store experience. As a result? Profits should increase and employee retention should improve. It’s a winning combination any retailer can appreciate!

Tip #3: Take Your Time When Hiring New Employees

The rush to fill an empty role often pushes merchants to hire too quickly – thus, not hiring the right person for their available position. Keeping this in mind, resist the urge to hire quick versus hire right. Training and introducing a new employee to your team is an investment in your business and should be considered as one. For every new hire you have, it takes both time and money to develop them to be a strong employee for your store. If you have to do this again and again due to a lack of the right hires, you will not only cost your store unnecessary operational dollars but also risk setting a reputation for your store that you don’t have a team that is qualified and cares about your business.

Remember… the goal of any retail business is to be profitable.

This is yet one more reason to invest in training employees so that you can retain employees and deliver a stronger retail experience to your customers. Through strong hiring expectations, clear store standards and efficient training opportunities, your store will be on its way to strengthening its entire experience!

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