Benefits to employers
Flexibility has many direct and positive benefits to retail employers and managers.
Make a selection from these benefits:
1. Attracting skilled and motivated people
2. Retaining a skilled and motivated workforce
3. Having more energetic and focussed employees
4. Increasing production
5. Reducing absenteeism
6. Increasing trust and respect
7. Increasing management skills and finding creative ways to work
8. Sustaining business
1. Attracting skilled and motivated people
Retail businesses offering flexibility will be attractive to a wider group of people, making it easier to recruit skilled and motivated people.
Offering flexibility can help with recruiting staff who:
- have the skills and motivation to work in the customer service-oriented retail sector
- are prepared to work flexibly to meet business needs (eg in peak periods, nights and weekends and shift rosters)
- want to establish their long-term careers in the retail sector.
Job seekers today have many more needs and expectations than they did 15 to 20 years ago. The issues for the modern workforce are:
- age - there are more mature age workers
- lifestyle preferences - more people want to combine work with personal interests
- caring responsibilities - more people with caring responsibilities are seeking employment
- expectations - more people expect employers to offer greater flexibility - this has become an indicator of an employer of choice.
Flexibility provides a more attractive employment option for this diverse and shrinking pool of people. This will increase the opportunities for retailers to recruit skilled and motivated staff.
Retailers who ‘think outside the box’ about the types of people they employ – for example, parents of school-aged children being rostered on during peak lunch-time hours - will have a distinct business advantage over employers who seek their workforce from a much narrower group.
“The intention of flexibility is to engender a feeling that we care about people and to make us more attractive as an employer. With shift patterns it’s a bit different – this is about value and it’s customer driven.”
(Medium-sized employer, HR manager)
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2. Retaining a skilled and motivated workforce
Studies show that having effective flexibility results in a reduction in staff turnover, especially for more talented employees.
Reducing unwanted turnover has three potential benefits:
- it reduces the costs of recruitment and training
- it increases the experience and skill level of your workforce
- key knowledge of the retail sector and customer needs are retained.
“The business benefits are massive. It’s about making sure we retain people – that we are an employer of choice.”
(Large employer, HR manager)
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3. Having more energetic and focussed employees
Research shows that employees who have flexibility that works for them and their employer are less likely to experience stress and are more likely to have higher levels of well-being and energy.
Reducing stress through flexibility means:
- fewer sick days
- higher levels of performance and resilience
- more effective workers when workplace demands are high
- greater willingness to adapt to constant change.
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4. Increasing productivity
Research shows that effective flexibility results in:
- higher levels of employee commitment and retention
- higher levels of customer service, satisfaction and customer retention
- higher levels of profitability.
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5. Reducing absenteeism
One of the most consistent findings reported is that having effective flexibility leads to a reduction in absenteeism.
Flexibility helps employees meet their outside / family commitments more easily, while also carrying out their jobs.
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6. Increasing trust and respect
It is often said that employees join an organisation and leave a manager. Research shows that when flexibility is implemented such that the needs of the business and of employees are considered equally (a culture of mutuality) the result is a higher level of trust and respect.
There is also a greater willingness on the part of employees to focus on the success of the business – and to be more flexible to meet business needs.
In one organisation where this has worked exceptionally well, employees are informed, “Flexibility is the foundation of our culture”.
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7. Increasing management skills and finding creative ways to work
A focus on flexibility provides an opportunity for managers to develop leadership skills such as demonstrating trust. It can also improve management skills such as managing a more diverse workforce.
It is also an opportunity for managers to challenge common assumptions about work organisation and to find creative and productive ways to work.
“Flexibility is an opportunity. We don’t know what’s possible until we experiment.”
(Medium-sized employer, HR manager)
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8. Sustaining business
Whether a retail business is large or small, having the right talent and energy are key components to sustaining it.
Sustaining a business is also about sustaining the business owner. Flexibility is a strategy that can work for both the employer and the employee.
“I work 6 days per week, so giving my staff flexibility also gives me personal flexibility. I normally work weekends (Sunday is our busiest day) but every now and again I need to have Sunday off for family reasons. Because I’m flexible with my staff, they will cover for me to meet my needs.”
(Small employer, business owner)
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