Dive Brief:
- Half of retailers report that employee training and engagement is a top challenge, according to a Retail TouchPoints (RTP) report. And "the pressures of the holiday season undoubtedly magnify these challenges even further," the trade publication said.
- With the holiday shopping season looming, businesses are pushing to meet their temporary staffing and training needs. New data suggests that an increase of 10% or more over last year's hiring is anticipated, with needs in excess of 650,000 workers. But low unemployment may be setting retailers up for a perfect storm of seasonal hiring failures.
- "While retailers have major decisions on their hands when it comes to hiring the right employees, they also must put them in an optimal position to succeed by offering the right types of training," RTP said. By offering robust training opportunities, employers can increase their changes of retaining the employee, it added.
Dive Insight:
The war for talent is challenge enough alone. Retailers are upping wages and offering all kinds of incentives to attract seasonal workers. But they're also competing against Amazon, which announced the addition of 100,000 jobs for the season.
In response, employers are more frequently working to achieve a faster time-to-hire, implement mobile applications and create a flawless candidate experience.
But RTP also points to training as an important piece to that puzzle. Training for front-facing employees of course remains critical for assisting holiday shoppers, especially as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach. Improved employee engagement and loyalty can be an added bonus, of course. The National Retail Federation launched an initiative aimed at providing job seekers with career exploration help, technical training, referral services, placement and advancement. And tech promises to bridge some of the training gaps unique to deskless workers.
