500 store colleagues on the realities of working in retail In association with INTRODUCTION CONTENTS he role of retail’s frontline staff has changed dramatically since CHAPTER 1 Covid-19 hit. Working hours have been upended, new safety protocols introduced and how they work and communicate WELLBEING ON THE FRONT LINE with both shoppers and colleagues has been overhauled. While Discover how roles have changed for retail Tstore staff have been lauded as heroes working tirelessly to serve the staff and whether they feel supported to nation, the pressure is taking its toll on many. manage this change With so much said and written about how retail leaders are grappling with the relentless and unpredictable change in the industry, we have CHAPTER 2 asked those on the front line how they are coping. RWRC, in partnership with Reflexis, now part of Zebra Technologies, IN-STORE COMMS AND THE has surveyed 500 store staff to lift the lid on their fears, motivations POWER OF TECH and aspirations at this most tumultuous of times. What technology are store staff lacking and is And not all of it makes for pretty reading. The research results employer communication hitting the mark? highlighted on page 4 lay bare the scale of the challenge facing retail CHAPTER 3 leaders today when it comes to engaging their colleagues. This makes Talking Shop a must read for any leaders searching for solutions to these very real issues. MAKING RETAIL A MORE Read on to find case studies from retailers meeting the challenge right ATTRACTIVE CAREER now and insights from experts looking ahead. How do store staff view their career path and By understanding how retail’s frontline staff are viewing the world what could entice and retain employees? right now, leaders can begin to truly engage their most valuable asset. CHAPTER 4 And what could be more be important than that? THE FUTURE OF THE STORE ASSOCIATE METHODOLOGY Find out how roles will change and what new RWRC surveyed 500 store colleagues, including shop floor staff, store jobs may exist managers and regional and area managers, in September/October 2020 CHAPTER 5 with the help of retailTRUST. All answers are anonymous but we drilled down into job roles, gender, age and sector of retail to give a picture of KEY TAKEAWAYS how different subsets of store workers are feeling and responding to the Learn what action retail leaders can take to current situation and working environment. The free and confidential improve working conditions and staff morale retailTRUST helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 801 0808 or by emailing helpline@ retailtrust.org.uk RWRC: TALKING SHOP Content director Contributors Gemma Goldfingle, Rachel Horner Nicola Harrison 020 3033 2837 and Judy Kenny [email protected] Account director Commercial production editor Julia Jones-Collins 020 3033 2952 Stephen Eddie 020 7715 6015 [email protected] [email protected] 2 | December 2020 In association with PARTNER VIEWPOINT PRASHANTH PALAKURTHI CHIEF EXECUTIVE, REFLEXIS, NOW PART OF ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES s the leader of an organisation As leaders, our responsibility is to now that has focused on simplifying listen and learn from this insight and use and improving the working lives it to guide our decision making as we look The impact of the of frontline retail employees for towards a post-Covid world. Athe past 20 years, it brings me enormous With more than 6 million store and pleasure to sponsor this landmark research. field employees using our software, we are pandemic on retail 2020 has been a year that few of us uniquely positioned to understand their could have foreseen just 12 months ago; needs and help our customers unleash the while retail has been in a period of intense power of their employees. will be significant transformation for some years, Covid-19 has Retail stores are at the nexus of both accelerated and redirected that process. organisational strategy, execution and It is safe to say that the impact of the customer demand; motivated and engaged and permanent pandemic on the retail sector will be teams create exceptional shopping significant and permanent. experiences and loved brands. However, There are almost 3 million people in the operational complexity gets in the way of UK employed in the retail sector and these this and creates friction in the employee’s changes will have a far-reaching impact on day and the customer’s experience. each of them. As we move forward as part of the wider The majority of that 3 million are Zebra Technologies family, our vision is to employed in store and field teams operating have every asset and worker on the edge on the edge, and the goal of this research is visible, connected and fully optimised. to give that majority a voice and let them We believe the retailers that find innovative share how they are feeling about the state ways to bring together data, connectivity, of retail today. mobile devices and their employees will The insights in this report capture a unique be the ones that not only survive the point in the evolution of the retail sector. transformation, but thrive and lead it. REFLEXIS, PART OF ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES +44 (0) 1256 857310 twitter.com/ReflexisSystems [email protected] linkedin.com/company/reflexis-systems reflexisinc.com youtube.com/user/ReflexisSystems In association with December 2020 | 3 75% 15% 66% 75% 15% AT66% A GLANCE AT A GLANCE: THE37% SCALE24% OF THE 40%CHALLENGE 75% 15% 66%75% 15% 66% believe retail to be a poor 37% 24% 40%75% career15% choice and66% the believe they have access top reason cited is abuse to the tech needed to do from customers79% 51% 23% 37% 24% 40%37% their24% job effectively40% 75% 15% rate66% morale at their 79% 51% 37%23% company24% as poor40% or very poor say communication has 18% 87% been ineffective from 79% 51% 79%23% the51% head office 23%during the pandemic 37% 24% feel40% insecure in their jobs 18% 87% 79% 51% 23% think that stores will not say18% their jobs have87% 18% exist87% in five years’ time 75% become75%15% more complex15%66% 75% 66%15% 66% 79% 18%51% since87%23% the coronavirus crisis hit in March say leaders in their 37% 37%24% 24%40% 40% 18% 87%75% 15% 66%37% organisation24% recognise40% the contribution they make think their employer cares 79% 79%51% 51%23% 23% 37% 24% 40%79% about51% their wellbeing23% believe diversity and inclusion is 18%79% 18%87%51% 87%23%18%taken seriously87% at their business 4 | December 2020 In association with 18% 87% CHAPTER 1 WELLBEING ON THE FRONT LINE rontline workers in retail stores have Retailers have leant on store staff to do more, seen monumental changes since the from servicing fast-growing online demand onset of the coronavirus crisis, with from stores to managing queues. far-reaching new rules to adhere to An Iceland spokesperson told Retail Fand additional tasks to carry out. Added Week: “Colleagues have needed to be able to to this is a sense that their livelihoods complete all in-store activities, rather than are constantly under threat, as firms are just their normal focus; our colleagues are laying off staff and shuttering stores. More more multi-skilled than ever.” than 125,000 jobs were lost in the year to It’s a similar story at M&S. “We’ve got our August and almost 14,000 stores closed colleagues working across the store much permanently, according to the Centre for more than we ever did before,” M&S stores Retail Research. And all against a backdrop director Helen Milford told Retail Week’s of having to balance, in many cases, family Building Tomorrow’s Retail Workforce and caring commitments. And let’s not virtual event. “Before the pandemic people forget the stress of putting themselves at risk had much more fixed roles.” of catching a deadly virus day in, day out. M&S store staff have been acting as But how has all this change, and the door hosts to manage queues and inform stresses that come with it, impacted retail customers about the new shopping protocol. staff? And do they feel supported to manage Dixons Carphone store staff have been this adjustment? operating its contactless drive-thru click and collect, delivering orders to customers’ Added job complexity cars since lockdown began. The electricals More than three-quarters (75%) of all 500 retailer also launched its ShopLive store workers surveyed by Retail Week platform in April, which features virtual say their jobs have become more complex consultations where in-store colleagues talk since Covid-19 hit the UK in March. through products with online customers. Changes introduced have brought the most Workers in health and beauty feel complexity to senior store management they have been asked to take on extra roles, with 96% of regional managers and responsibilities, more so than in any other 95% of area managers stating their job is sector, with 29% saying they have had more complicated following the pandemic. new tasks added to their workload, New safety measures, both for customers compared with the 14% average. and staff themselves, are the biggest Health and beauty has seen contributors to this feeling of complexity, much change since the crisis hit, according to our survey. with face-to-face consultation For example, Aldi has adopted an services currently banned. automated traffic light system for entry into Boots, for example, has brought store, while others such as Tesco and Next in video consultations with brought in one-way systems.