An engaged, motivated employee is a productive employee!
A retail employee who is engaged and motivated performs better and is more productive. To add to it, they’re likely to provide customer service with a more positive and meaningful retail experience.
Retail employees mostly are largely involved in direct communication with customers. And so, companies need to have a game plan on how to engage retail employees.
What Is Employee Engagement?
If you're a retail manager, you're probably familiar with the concept of employee engagement. Employee engagement refers to the level of dedication and enthusiasm an employee feels towards their work.
If an employee is properly engaged, they’re more involved and focused on their jobs, and committed to giving their very best.
An engaged employee is an asset to your company!
The more they are motivated and engaged, the more they can help, connect to, and assist the customers. An engaged employee is helpful, enthusiastic, and leaves a positive impression upon the customer experience, thus encouraging them to revisit and repurchase.
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Employee engagement handbook
A playbook for modern HR leaders to boost employee engagement with actionable solutions.
10 Innovative Ideas To Keep Your Retail Employees Engaged And Motivated
1. Offer rewards and incentives:
It’s pretty simple - your retail staff will do better work-wise if they are given more reason to, or if they feel that their work is valued and appreciated. Offer your employees proper incentives for their work.
The incentives, something as simple as an employee of the month recognition, gift cards, or discount coupons, can show your acknowledgment of their effort toward their work.
Quick read: Loop’s very Head of People, Devangi Kamra talks about “Why employee engagement is important to a company's success.”
2. Arrange wellness programs:
With wellness programs, you are really telling your employee that you care about their health and well-being. The wellness program can be anything, like smoking cessation programs, group Zumba classes, or stress management courses.
These programs will look after the well-being of the retail employees both physically and mentally. It also increases the overall productivity of the company and reduces the expenses of long-term expenses. A total win-win situation!
Loop is the #1 pick for HRs for health benefits. Before you miss out, click here.
3. Set up group health insurance for your employees:
A great way to boost the engagement and productivity of your retail employees is to give them security via group health insurance policies. Besides being mandatory, group health insurance is one of the most vital resources that ensure employees feel supported in their times of need.
Employees who are mentally, physically, and financially secure can put in their very best in their job! Trust us, it’ll show!
4. Keep open channels of communication:
Communication is the key to the smooth functioning of a team in the retail industry. It builds trust and confidence among your employees and provides a space to discuss and share ideas. It also prevents misunderstandings that may put a strain on intra-employee working relationships and dampen morale.
Besides the above, you’ll notice an uninterrupted flow of information, and the more informed a retail employee is, the more service they can provide to consumers.
The buddy system is proven to help with communication. Set up your very own with the help of this post.
5. Have a well-stocked break room:
The break room is like a refuge, a shelter for your employee, an escape from constantly being amidst customers and their questions. They deserve to enjoy that little “me time” in peace. Keep the break room stocked and cozy. You can also introduce some fun games in the room for a more wholesome break time!
Engage your entire team in one go with a fun Friday games at the office. From blind drawing to escape rooms; it offers endless entertainment.
6. Conduct frequent surveys and collect regular feedback:
No one can tell you better about your retail workers than they themselves. Hence it’s important to conduct frequent surveys and encourage employees to participate in order to find out about the issues and problems employees face, or anything that needs addressing.
And not just hearing out their grievances, but taking prompt actions on the said feedback will convey that you valve and heed their opinions.
7. Set up small goals you can achieve:
Everyone enjoys ticking off achievements from their checklists! Having a set of small goals for your employees to attain helps keep track of the work, without getting overwhelmed and burdened. These time-bound goals will give a feeling of accomplishment to your retail employees in an otherwise monotonous routine.
For more easy-to-implement and actionable insights, visit “8 Lessons HRs Can Learn From Shark Tank India.”
8. Provide the right tools:
For your retail employees to perform their best, they need to have access to the right tools for the job. This includes conducting training programs to help your employees communicate better with customers. Give them the right tools and you’ll see their performance at its finest!
9. Establish a culture of recognition:
If your retail employees feel undervalued, their morale will go down, which affects their performance negatively. Appreciation and encouragement go a long way, and acknowledgment and creating a culture of recognition for their work improve employee motivation.
This will also boost their confidence, help them perform better with the customers, and leave a meaningful and worthwhile impression on them. Here’s a handy post on the “3 Steps To Build An Employee Recognition Program That Works.”
Building Great Culture
Learn the best practices to build a prospering culture in your organization.
10. Introduce group activities:
Team spirit and a sense of camaraderie between your employees can very easily make work a much more pleasurable employee experience, something your employees can look forward to.
Introduce group activities for your retail employees as a team-building exercise that improve employee engagement and boosts morale! As a result, they'll be able to effectively manage your social media marketing platforms. As a result, the company's bottom line would improve.
Stay on top of your wellness goals with FREE open wellness sessions by wellness experts for your team twice a month.
Win Over Employees First, And Customers Will Follow
As rightly said by Ian Hutchinson, author of People Glue, “Your number one customers are your people. Look after employees first and then customers last.”
Increasing the engagement of your employees does not have to involve more hassle or expenses, nor does it have to be very time-consuming.
In fact, in the long run, the benefits you yield by investing in group health insurance, wellness programs, and other benefits for your employees far outweigh the costs.
Sign up for a customizable group health insurance policy starting at Rs. 499!
