HR Trends in the Retail Industry

How to overcome the main Retail HR Challenges of 2022

There are a lot of HR challenges that professionals need to deal with. The retail industry is no exception to this rule. According to PwC's global human resources outlook, retail executives are already facing several challenges, and these will only increase over the next five years.

For now, let's focus on one of the biggest things on everyone's minds: retaining millennials and Gen Z. What factors tend to be the most essential for them when it comes to staying with an employer? Here are just some of their top priorities:

• Training and development opportunities (89%)
• Flexible working conditions (88%)
• A job that makes use of their talents and interests (86%)
• A good relationship with their boss and colleagues (79%)
• Autonomy to do their job how they want to (73%)

What can we learn from this? First and most importantly, companies need to provide the training and development opportunities that the younger generations crave. Secondly, consider offering new working methods such as flexible hours or remote working. You could even consider offering internships for students who would like some on-the-job experience before starting their careers. Furthermore, focus on having a good relationship with your employees. Last but not least: encourage autonomy and give your employees the freedom to do things how they want to.

What are the recent trends in HR?

Over the past few years, there's been a shift in workforce trends as Gen Z and millennials have started to enter the labor market, meaning that there is now more focus on new technologies and work-life balance.

The shift from hierarchical offices to open-plan offices: companies want their employees to collaborate more effectively and place a higher value on creativity.

Focus on professional development: companies are encouraging their employees to go out of their comfort zone and learn new skills to perform better at work.

Openness towards flexible hours or remote working: you could even consider offering internships for students who would like the part-time on-the-job experience before starting their career.

What are the HR trends for 2022?

More focus on customer experience: companies will be trying to improve the engagement between their employees and customers to offer better service.

More social responsibility: millennials and Gen Z are very attached to corporate social and environmental responsibility, so businesses need to adopt or strengthen those principles.

Retaining the younger workforce: as older generations working in retail are replaced, there will be more competition for skilled workers. So how can you encourage your existing retail employees to stay? One way could be offering benefits like flexibility or other unique opportunities (e.g., work abroad).

Modernize the Candidate Experience: As the younger generations enter the workforce, they want their application experience to be modernized. It's a good idea to offer a mobile application or create an online portal where potential employees can upload their CVs and send in applications. This way, the process will seem more personal and less challenging since all of their information will be available at the tip of their fingers!

Making the application process straightforward and to the point will make the candidate experience more positive. It can also increase the number of candidates that complete their applications. Utilizing apps that allow individuals to apply for jobs with one click is an effective method to acquire top talent. You can read about how to create an amazing retail employee job description here.

Resume Keywords: Resume keywords are key phrases that illustrate your skills, knowledge, and expertise to potential employers. They also help candidates find you when they run a keyword search on an applicant tracking system (which many companies use today). This means that you will need to put some serious thought into keyword customization.

Employee engagement: How does it work?

In retail, employee engagement can be tricky because workers tend to get very busy throughout the day without ever having any time off. However, this should not undermine its importance as employees who feel valued by your company are much more likely to stay with you for a more extended time.

Hire Up for Growth

Hiring up for growth is a must for businesses that want to grow. This means being able to go beyond just hiring entry-level retail workers and getting the right managers, store directors, and store/district managers so you can expand your business as quickly as possible. Having strong upper management is essential for maintaining your business once it becomes successful!

If you have read this article carefully, now you should have a better idea of what's going on in HR departments right now. It might also have given you some ideas about how you might want to approach the recruitment process at your company!

Scale Seasonal Hiring With Compliance

scaling seasonal hiring with compliance is a must in the retail sector, where hiring lots of workers can be essential to survival at certain times of the year. However, onboarding so many new employees might also be problematic if you don't have enough time to train them in your company's standards and values. It creates a poor work environment and can negatively impact staffing in the long run.

At the same time, seasonal employees may be available during other times of the year, and you might need to lay them off due to a lack of work. As such, you must consider the legal implications of seasonal hiring!

Defining your onboarding strategy can challenge HR managers if you don't know where to start or how long you need to achieve specific metrics.

At least by being aware of these HR trends, you will know in advance how best to prepare for scaling or expanding your workforce at any given time!

Employee engagement: How does it work?

In retail, employee engagement can be tricky because workers tend to get very busy throughout the day without ever having any time off. However, this should not undermine its importance as employees who feel valued by your company are much more likely to stay with you for a more extended time.

Hire Up for Growth

Hiring up for growth is a must for businesses that want to grow. This means being able to go beyond just hiring entry-level retail workers and getting the right managers, store directors, and store/district managers so you can expand your business as quickly as possible. Having strong upper management is essential for maintaining your business once it becomes successful!

If you have read this article carefully, now you should have a better idea of what's going on in HR departments right now. It might also have given you some ideas about how you might want to approach the recruitment process at your company!

Scale Seasonal Hiring With Compliance

scaling seasonal hiring with compliance is a must in the retail sector, where hiring lots of workers can be essential to survival at certain times of the year. However, onboarding so many new employees might also be problematic if you don't have enough time to train them in your company's standards and values. It creates a poor work environment and can negatively impact staffing in the long run.

At the same time, seasonal employees may be available during other times of the year, and you might need to lay them off due to a lack of work. As such, you must consider the legal implications of seasonal hiring!

Defining your onboarding strategy can challenge HR managers if you don't know where to start or how long you need to achieve specific metrics.

At least by being aware of these HR trends, you will know in advance how best to prepare for scaling or expanding your workforce at any given time!

A sense of purpose is key

Having a sense of purpose is key to feeling fulfilled at work. That is why millennials and employees of all generations need to see how their work connects with the bigger picture. Not everyone will be motivated by money, so you need to know what purpose keeps them going each day!

Health and wellness matter

Your workers will value mental health and wellness benefits, especially during these uncertain times created by the pandemic. When it comes to attracting applicants, these benefits are crucial. So it pays off if you find out what keeps your most ideal candidates motivated.

Transgender issues

The transgender community has been struggling for years to receive the same respect and rights as everybody else in most countries around the world! This is why employers must understand this group of workers and be supportive if they decide to transition or choose a different name! These things matter since they might make them feel accepted at work.

Younger generations on board

Millennials and Gen Z tend to value transparency, flexibility, and social responsibility at work. Keep this in mind when hiring. For younger workers, being willing to have conversations with their parents can also influence whether or not they will join your company.

Employee safety

Keeping workers safe should be at the forefront of every business owner's mind! There are many ways you can keep your employees safe at work, such as organizing safety training sessions or creating an office manual that features all the rules they have to follow.

Environment

Today more than ever, companies realize that protecting the environment is essential for their bottom line (and also for our planet). That is why you need to prioritize actions that lead you towards becoming a better environmental citizen. Ultimately it will pay off in attracting the best talent out there who are willing to make this planet a better place with us.

Compensation & benefits

If you want people worldwide to join your mission, it pays off if you offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits. When workers feel paid their worth and have the benefits to take care of themselves and their families, they will be more motivated to participate in your mission.

Scheduling and workforce planning

Scheduling and workforce planning are essential parts of every company's success. If these tasks aren't done right, it can have a massive impact on your bottom line and your customers' experience with you!

Hiring and maintaining the right employees

To build a great culture at work, you need to hire and maintain the best people! That is why having a proper recruitment process in place will help you find out whether or not someone is suited for the job they are applying for.

For more about recruiting, check out our digital recruiting checklist or read about flair's recruiting feature here!

Ethics

Ethics should always come first when building relationships with suppliers, clients, or even competitors. Recognize what matters most to your community because this will also affect how long your company stays around.

Redefining the role of HR within the retail business

Redefining the role of HR within the industry is an ongoing process that benefits everybody working at that company. That is why it pays off to hire passionate people about this subject and help you take steps in the right direction.

Engaging employees through innovative learning & development practices

Many companies now realize that learning and developing new skills is a never-ending process. This is why having innovation processes in place which allow for continuous improvement always pays off! Also, don't forget to see what your employees want from you when it comes to training and development ;) If they feel like their managers care, they will be more proactive when it comes down to participating in different activities/projects, etc.

Early access to income

Access earned income before a scheduled payday is not something most individuals can do. If an emergency arises, it's crucial to access money even if you don't have a regular paycheck coming in.

Certain expenses like rent or mortgages are due on specific dates, so it is essential to plan for these payments. Some people may receive part of their income before the scheduled payday making it easier to manage their credit and expenses.

Enabling digital employee experience

We live in a digital world, and if a business isn't enabling digital employee experience, they are behind the game. That is why it's essential to make sure that all your employees are empowered to do their jobs the digital way.

Employee retention

Employee retention starts with having the proper employee engagement practices in place! This is why you should always be clear about what you expect from your employees and show them how they can help meet your company's strategic objectives. Employee retention also heavily depends on the quality of communication between employers and employees, making this point crucial.

Building a diverse and inclusive workplace

Building a diverse and inclusive workplace is one of the most important things you can do to attract people who contribute to your company's success. This is why every business out there should always build an environment where everyone feels valued.

Workforce management tools and data

Workforce management tools are essential nowadays because they streamline big tasks in real-time and ensure that no worker is left behind.

Conclusion - Are you ready to overcome retail HR challenges in your organization?

Retail has changed a lot in the past few years, and so has retail HR. It pays off to plan and think about what you can do to build a great company culture that will help you battle the retail HR challenges out there.