WORKFORCE


RETAILERS UPDATE WORKFORCE SYSTEMS FOR BUSINESS GROWTH


Given the unprecedented amount of change that the retail industry faces as a result of rapidly changing tech- driven customer demands, companies like Thomas Sabo and Hall & Woodhouse know it pays not to overlook the role played by the people that drive the business transformation required to keep pace


O


perating in today’s fast-paced retail environment often requires just as sophisticated a set of workforce management (WFM) practices, as they do new


customer-facing advances. But the growth in retail businesses today is largely derived from emerging digital


channels that can skew spending priorities, even though retail stores still make up the majority of aggregate revenues and often claim the largest proportion of labour costs. A recent report into store WFM practices by analyst house RSR Research found


those retailers that had already prioritised their employee work schedules saw store staff were able to spend more time with customers than on administrative tasks. Laggards were much more likely to report that employees spend too much time on corporate management tasks and operational processes than their leading counterparts (50% to 36%, respectively). So retailers looking to boost success and manage growth now and into the future


are deploying integrated staff management systems to increase process automation, improve forecasting and ultimately enhance levels of customer service. Take for instance jewellery designer and retailer Thomas Sabo, which late last year selected integrated human resources (HR), payroll and time and attendance (T&A) software from specialist supplier Carval Computing (Thomas Sabo streamlines payroll and HR,


www.retailtechnology.co.uk Spring/Summer 2014 35


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