How to retain employees in your retail business

Every job has its pros and cons, but there’s no denying that workers in any kind of service industry have it particularly tough. When you’re having to deal with customers all day (some of which can be extremely challenging) it can take its toll.

For this reason, as a company owner running a retail business it’s important for you to consider how to retain your employees and keep them happy. Here are some things to think about. 

Why is reducing staff turnover important?

Reducing staff turnover saves your business time and money. Every time an employee leaves, you have the time and cost of putting out job ads, searching through CVs, conducting interviews and paying for training. 

A high staff turnover rate is also bad for your workforce’s morale, it can bring other team members down seeing people constantly coming and going and it’s difficult to build any kind of workplace culture with workers regularly leaving. When you keep your employees happy, they’re more likely to stay with your company and do better work for you. But how can you go about it?

Find the right employees to start with

First things first, finding the right employees who suit the job, your business and the rest of the team will benefit everyone long term. Don’t just hire based on a CV, conduct an in depth interview to find out more about who they are so you can figure out if they’ll integrate well into the existing structure of your company.

The right experience is important, but personality, particularly when it comes to retail is absolutely crucial. You can only really gauge this by seeing them in person, and perhaps offering a job on a trial basis to see how they perform. Agencies like Pure Staff Ltd can make it easy to find the right candidates and skills matches for what you’re looking for. 

Offer perks and benefits

You’ll never be able to reduce the stress that comes with working in retail, during busy times its always going to be demanding and dealing with difficult customers is part of the territory. There’s not much you as the boss can do about that.

However, there are things you can do to make your employees experience with your company that bit better. Perks, rewards and benefits can all make their hard work feel worth it, it could be anything from free gym memberships to occasional team lunches or dinners, Christmas parties and days off on their birthday. Have a think about what would best suit your team. 

As a retail business owner, what do you do to retain your staff?