I pulled together a list of ideas and suggestions for combating the current retail staffing shortage. I'll link a video with more details once the video has been uploaded:
„This is based on site visits with over 360 retailers
across 9 states as well as multiple years of experience in retail management.
Simply „scan the list and pick out some things to try.
One quick definition: „What is “FTE”: Full Time Equivalent (1 full time employee = 1 FTE.
1 half time employees = 1 FTE)
Suggestions/Tips/Ideas are broken down by section.
Compensation:
„Bonus to employee for being on time and showing up for all shifts
„Paying a competitive wage
„Benefits for both PT and FT employees
„Growth plan with incentives for
completion of growth plan steps
„PT or FT - each has advantages and disadvantages but your FTE count
is the same in the end
„Random incentives for meeting team goals, outstanding work, positive customer review (gift cards, pizza lunches, etc)
„Offer higher pay rates for employees who don't need benefits (need
to check with laws regarding offering health care to make sure this is
acceptable in your locale)
Smart Thinking:
„Use a staffing service to pre
qualify applicants
„Check with local schools for internship programs
„Does the job posting include unique positive reasons to work at
your store?
„Offloading admin tasks like scheduling to empower staff and free up managers time
„Use a 3rd party bookkeeping service
„Using POS tech to it's fullest to free up managers time (have a whole video on that alone = correct use of a POS
system = .75 FTE)
„Looking at processes to increase efficiencies
„using job coaching services to add staff who have disabilities.
they can perform a variety of tasks (stocking, shelf tags, opening mail,
cashiering, etc) and you get a wage credit plus the placement agency will provide
a job coach
„hanging on to bad employees or hiring warm bodies. Why?
„cross train employees so you do not run in to a situation were only
one employee knows now to print shelf tags, receive inventory, etc
„Creating a safe working environment with a zero tolerance policy
against internal theft and full prosecution of external theft. Word gets out
when a store is lax on letting employees steal or not arresting and fully
prosecuting theft (or letting people hang out in the parking lot, pan handle by
the front door, etc).
Second pair of eyes:
„Is the store an inviting place to shop? if not, it is likely not an
inviting place to work
„I'm sure that many of us could spend a few hours in a liquor store
shadowing and spot some easy fixes
„How much of the staffing issues come back to the stores leadership?
In some cases, the work environment is why they can't retain staff while the
liquor store down the street has no issues with staffing.
„Is the stores leadership so fixated on staffing issues that other
important tasks to be delayed?
Conclusion:
