It’s that time of year again! Retail businesses are busy competing over offering the best deals that will get customers in their stores while maintaining decent profit margins. This year, stores opened earlier than ever on Black Friday, some beginning to offer deals starting late Thanksgiving night. However, this did not come without pushback from the employees that would have to accommodate the earlier traffic. At a major retailer in the U.S., over 88,000 employees signed a petition to have the store open later, voicing their dislike of having to miss time with their families (NPR News, November 16, 2011).
Stories like this bring up a good question; what keeps retail employees engaged in their work? Based on Questar’s database of retail employee data collected between 2009 and 2011, the following aspects of work are most indicative of an engaged retail employee:
- Pride in working for the company
- Recognition for good work
- Trust in senior management
- Confidence in senior leadership
- Believe in what the company does
In short, this Top 5 list includes both aspects of a strong company image and strong senior leadership, which need to be cultivated over time. In order to build on these key drivers of engagement, senior leadership should work to enhancing their visibility to employees, as well as their openness in communication.
The second point on the list (recognition for good work) raises the question about initiatives retailers take to recognize their employees when they perform well. Questar asked retail employees just that, as well as what they would like their company to do to recognize their work and found the following were most often mentioned:
| What company does | What employees would like |
| 1. Bonuses/raises | 1. Verbal recognition |
| 2. Small gifts/certificates/awards | 2. Bonuses/raises |
| 3. Verbal recognition | 3. Small gifts/certificates/awards |
| 4. Public recognition | 4. Public recognition |
| 5. ‘Pat on the back’ | 5. ‘Pat on the back’ |
Examples of what company does:
- Gives out treats such as cake, hot dogs, and ice cream
- Send out certificates and they recognize us in emails to the entire company
- Pat us on the back, flex time
- I earn a good paycheck for my efforts
- Thank me for doing a good job
- Fill out a piece of paper saying good job
Examples of what they would like:
- A simple thank-you for my hard work is all I’m looking for
- Receiving positive feedback
- A pat on the back is okay
- Steady raise increases when I do a good job
- Just have my manager tell me I’m doing a good job
- Increased money and responsibility
- A gift card for the store would be nice
Although content on this list is similar, what is noticeable is that verbal recognition, such as a simple “thank you,” was most often mentioned when we questioned the employees on what they would like for recognition. However, when asked what the company does, it seems that this type of recognition falls lower on the list, and companies tend to stick to indirect forms of recognition. For example several comments indicated that companies encourage employees to put words of praise for another employee on paper, something that is surely admirable compared to nothing at all. However, the qualitative analysis of comments in this sample indicates that employees would prefer more face-to-face recognition, i.e., hearing it straight from the boss or even a member of management. So, next time you see employees doing great work do not be afraid to tell them directly! Chances are they will really appreciate the effort.
Amanda Harms |Associate Consultant
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