Reimagining the Employee Experience Amid the Holiday Rush

By Michael Spataro, Chief Customer Officer, Legion Technologies

In the retail industry, the holiday season is often synonymous with stress. But with new seasonal talent coming in the door, it’s also the ideal time for retailers to reinvent their employee workplace experience, putting wellness and flexibility at the forefront.

They don’t have a choice, if they want to attract the best talent this season. A new survey shows that 27% of hourly workers wish for unionization at their company, reflecting an unsettling trend of rampant employee dissatisfaction. Retail workers want better benefits and flexibility so they can live their lives fully, provide for themselves and their families, and take genuine pride in their work.

For hourly workers, most retailers can offer flexibility in two main forms: schedule flexibility, which describes workers’ ability to have a say in the hours, days, and locations they work, and pay flexibility, which refers to employees having immediate access to their earned wages.

Schedule flexibility has long been a critical demand of hourly retail workers, serving as a main motivation in the pursuit of gig-like flexibility. By setting their own hours, gig workers can seamlessly blend their work with their lives – and hourly retail workers want and deserve the same benefits.

According to recent research, having a more flexible schedule is consistently a top motivator for hourly employees to leave one job for another. If retailers want to attract and retain their hourly employees, they need to offer a similar, gig-like standard of flexibility.

The challenge is enabling flexibility in a way that works for both the business and the employees. More than a third (38%) of managers still rely on paper schedules and spreadsheets to determine staffing plans for each week, making schedules time-consuming to produce and difficult to manage. By switching to an AI-driven workforce management platform that delivers intelligent, automated scheduling, managers can better accommodate employees’ needs while still meeting the demands of the business. The better the schedule match rate, the better the employee experience.

Consistency is also key. Retail jobs won’t be as rigid as a 9-5 – especially not during a seasonal surge – but a measure of predictability helps workers improve the integration of their jobs with other everyday priorities. Medical research even supports that having a routine can reduce the adverse effects of stress on employees’ mental health. However, traditional scheduling methods are more prone to inconsistencies, and without an automated, AI-native system to keep everything aligned, managers may struggle to remember employee preferences and availability, creating more stress for managers and employees.

Another factor crucial to reducing employee stress is pay flexibility. 90% of employees report being stressed about their finances, and this ongoing worry can impact their performance, costing as many as 11 hours in lost productive time per employee each week. Offering earned wage access (EWA) via the workforce management platform that employees already use for scheduling, time & attendance and communication gives them easy access to their pay when they need it, so they don’t have to wait for a paycheck to hit their account every two weeks. This can ease the financial burden of unplanned expenses, emergencies, and even a shortage of hours at a second job.

Offering schedule and pay flexibility is crucial to helping employees maintain their well-being, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle—albeit a substantial one.

If retailers want seasonal employees to do their best work, they need to ensure these employees are both physically and mentally well enough to do their jobs. Retail jobs have a reputation for being “thankless” – there’s even data to prove it, with only 22% of retailers offering more rewards and recognition in the last year – but this upcoming holiday season presents an opportunity for retailers to turn the tide.

Prioritizing employee wellbeing doesn’t have to be overly complex or expensive. Employers must simply be ready to give employees the time they need to care for themselves. Flexible scheduling can help with this, as can having the right number of employees on staff, but there is also a cultural component. Employees should feel psychologically safe enough in the workplace to ask for accommodations without fearing it could put their jobs at risk.

During the holiday rush, there will always be days where stress runs high, but retailers will be better equipped to handle these days if their workforce is healthy and satisfied. By leading with compassion and investing in employee wellbeing, companies can shatter the stereotype of the “thankless job” and enjoy a successful holiday season.

There is a saying that “every company is a tech company” nowadays, and retailers are no exception. From automated checkouts to bespoke mobile apps, companies are creating more technologically forward customer experiences that require employees to quickly level up their knowledge. However, providing a better tech experience for employees is perhaps more important on the backend.

Technology that helps with decision-making and automates complex functions like time & attendance, scheduling and demand forecasting will reduce pressure on employees and managers, allowing them to invest more in the employee and customer experience. The better demand forecasting is, the better scheduling can become, further ensuring the appropriate number of employees are scheduled for any given day. With these tools, employees are happier with their flexibility and managers spend less time handling schedules, resulting in a positive trickle-down effect on the customer experience.

Generative AI is also rapidly transforming the retail job experience. With access to an AI-powered virtual assistant, for one, employees can maximize their productivity with improved access to important business information, personalized coaching, and more. This is especially helpful for seasonal employees, who will need to onboard quickly and manage high demand right away.

In the mad dash for seasonal talent, prospective employees will prioritize opportunities that give them the flexibility they need to stay healthy, engaged and productive. As we head into the “season of gratitude,” it’s time to overcome the notion of the “thankless” retail job and create a workplace environment that puts employees’ wellbeing first.