Retailers Challenged By Staffing Frontline

Retailers are operating with a frontline employee deficit, but only a minority plan to invest in improving the frontline experience to help address their labour shortages, says a study by WorkJam, a digital frontline workplace. The study shows 63 per cent of retailers are experiencing labour shortages for frontline staff, yet only eight per cent plan to invest in the frontline experience in the next 12 months to fix it. Additionally, 80 per cent of decision makers across industries and geographies want to leverage technology to improve the frontline experience, but struggle with prioritizing digital investments. In fact, 71 per cent of all leaders surveyed worry that investment in technology that improves processes and efficiency is taking precedence over tech that ultimately creates a better frontline employee experience. “Focusing on the frontline employee experience is key to achieving business goals, including growing revenue, engaging and retaining associates, increasing efficiency, and ultimately delivering an excellent customer experience,” says Steven Kramer, chief executive officer of WorkJam.