Five charts that lay bare the impact of Covid on staff wellbeing
An avalanche of job losses, the threat of contracting a deadly disease and abuse from customers. Just how has Covid-19 impacted retail’s most valuable asset – its staff? Download our new report to find out
Retail’s frontline staff have had a lot thrown at them since Covid-19 hit, with three national lockdowns resulting in working hours being upended, new safety protocols introduced and a real sense that their livelihoods are constantly under threat as firms lay off staff and shutter stores.
Store staff have been lauded as heroes working tirelessly to serve the nation, but the pressure is taking its toll on many.
In Retail Week’s groundbreaking new report Talking Shop, which you can download for free here, we have surveyed 500 frontline store staff to lift the lid on their fears, motivations and aspirations at this most tumultuous of times.
The results are stark and serve as a wake-up call to retail leaders.
One in four store staff feel ‘not at all secure’ in their jobs
Against a backdrop of mass redundancies and store closures, we asked respondents how secure they feel in their jobs right now.
Alarmingly, one in four store staff feel ‘not at all secure’ in their jobs at the moment. This rises among certain sectors, with colleagues in fashion, department stores, entertainment and stationery feeling the most job insecurity. This is perhaps unsurprising given how these sectors have been hit in the past 12 months.
And this feeling of anxiety over livelihoods rises among certain job titles, with area managers feeling the most unsettled, perhaps due to the fact some retailers are stripping out middle-management roles in a bid to streamline structures and cut costs.
Morale has taken a hit, too, in these uncertain and stressful times, with more than one in three of all respondents stating that morale was poor or very poor within their business.
Perhaps most alarmingly, four in 10 store staff would not recommend retail as a career. And younger colleagues are more negative, with 16% describing retail as a ‘very poor’ career choice, versus the 8% average across all ages. The top reason cited among all ages is abuse from customers.
This snapshot of the wide-ranging and in-depth data revealed in Talking Shop lays bare the scale of the challenge leaders are facing when it comes to motivating staff – the face of their business and their most valuable asset.
But Talking Shop does not just uncover the problems; it seeks to provide solutions through case studies from retailers meeting the challenge right now, including M&S, Dixons Carphone and Lush, as well as insights from experts looking ahead.
It is a must-read for retail leaders looking to engage their workforces in these toughest of times.
And the data does not paint an entirely bleak picture. Retail Week’s findings show store staff feel appreciated by their employer for the job they are doing and believe that their employer cares about their health and wellbeing.
Download Talking Shop for free today to discover:
- The true extent of the impact of Covid on store staff
- How to form a meaningful health and wellbeing strategy
- The tech that can transform employee engagement and productivity
- Innovative ways to offer rewards without hitting the bottom line
- How the store associate role will evolve in the future
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