The Secret Weapon of Retail Store Success: Healthy Store Culture and Happier Employees

Last year, a client came to me with a problem. He was frustrated because his retail store was not performing as well as he wanted. Despite his efforts to drive higher levels of accountability within his retail stores, he felt that little progress was being made around improving cleanliness, organization, and customer service. He would often have conversations with employees about job assignments. They would address the items he talked with them about but put in no extra effort to address other problems in the store that were visible and impacting customer satisfaction. He came to me seeking a way to transform the culture within his stores.

We spent some time talking about his current approach. On a typical day, he would walk into the store, observe job assignments that had not been completed, and challenge the employees on why they were not getting more done. He would do this before saying hello, asking employees how they were doing, or acknowledging any progress they made since his last visit.

This conversation prompted me to ask the store owner, 

"How do you want your employees to feel when interacting with you?". 

After some thought, the owner said he would like them to feel motivated after interacting with him. He talked about his previous experience as an employee and how he worked hardest when he had a good relationship with his boss. He shared that his relationship with his boss was based on trust earned over time because his boss genuinely showed care and respect for him and the rest of his teammates. With this insight, we crafted a new approach to engaging with employees.

Four actions to improve retail store culture.

1. He brought civility to the workplace. Instead of the owner coming in and jumping straight into business, I encouraged him to take things slower. He began to say hello to employees, ask them how their days were going, and about their families and life outside of work.

2. He began to recognize small wins. Instead of focusing on all of the things the employees did not get done, he started to thank them for the small improvements they were making. The employees began to feel more appreciated and took more pride in completing tasks.

3. He started to delegate more responsibilities to his manager. Instead of being the primary person holding employees accountable, he began to have more conversations with his manager about store performance and the manager's role in ensuring that employees were completing tasks.

4. He invested time in training employees how to execute tasks to his expectations. When he observed that job assignments were not being completed to his expectations, he would check with the employees to understand if they knew the best way to complete the task. He would teach them how to complete the task efficiently and effectively if they did not.

The impact of happier employees.

These simple behavioral changes lead to cultural change within the store. Over the course of four months, the owner reported that the overall feel of the store changed. Employees seemed

• happier to come into work

• improved their execution of job duties

• began to greet the owner by showing him what they had accomplished while he was gone

This change happened without the owner having to fire any employees or implement special incentives. He was able to start store culture change by

• treating the employees with more dignity and respect

• demonstrating appreciation for small wins

• empowering his employees to take more responsibility for store conditions

• ensuring they were adequately trained

By changing how he interacted with his employees, the owner was able to transform the culture within the store, which led to improved customer experience and higher sales.

Summary

Being a store owner is challenging. It is especially difficult when the employees who work for you are not motivated to perform at a high level. One of the secrets to success as a business owner is to manage your employees based on their potential. Your employees are capable of exceeding your expectations when you provide the resources and environment they need to thrive. Just like a rose will not grow with proper water, soil, and sunlight, your employees need direction, training, and positive reinforcement if they are going to reach their potential. The time you dedicate to building a great organizational culture will unlock the potential of your employees and organization.

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As an executive coach and small business consultant, I guide small business owners and business professionals in achieving their professional and business goals.

Whether you want to start, transform, or improve your business or career, I can help you magnify your strengths, minimize weaknesses, identify threats, and take advantage of opportunities.

Let's talk about your goals.

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How to Increase Employee Retention

Employee retention is a key challenge for many organizations, especially in a competitive market where talent is scarce. High turnover rates can have negative impacts on productivity, morale, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Therefore, it is essential for managers to understand what motivates their employees and how to create a work environment that fosters loyalty and engagement.

Using Maslow's hierarchy to improve retention.

One useful framework to understand employee motivation is Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a psychological theory that proposes that human beings have five basic needs that must be satisfied to achieve their full potential. These needs are:

• Physiological: The need for food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities of life.

• Safety: The need for security, stability, protection, and freedom from fear or harm.

• Belonging: The need for social interaction, affection, acceptance, and belonging to a group.

• Esteem: The need for recognition, respect, achievement, and self-confidence.

• Self-actualization: The need for personal growth, creativity, fulfillment, and realization of one's potential.

According to Maslow, these needs are arranged in a hierarchy, meaning that the lower-level needs must be met before the higher-level needs can be pursued.

For example, if an employee is stressed because they are worried about their ability to pay their rent, it can have a negative impact on their ability to focus on work. Therefore, managers can unlock their employee's potential by helping them move up the hierarchy of needs.

Here are some practical ways to apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs to employee retention:

1) Provide a compensation plan that provides for physiological needs.

Employees need to feel that their basic needs are being taken care of while working for your company. As an employer, you can improve employee retention by ensuring your entry-level roles provide compensation packages that allow your employees to take care of their basic needs.

Turnover at entry-level roles tends to be high, as employees jump from employer to employer in search of making enough money to pay off debt, cover rent or mortgage expenses, food, clothing, and other basic living expenses. If basic needs are not met, employees will not be motivated or loyal, creating more retention risk.

Therefore, managers need to monitor the compensation packages of their competitors, along with the typical living expenses within their region, and ensure they are providing fair compensation. They should offer benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, education reimbursement, and paid leave when financially possible. The money spent supporting the financial health of your workforce will ensure their physiological needs are met, which will reduce the risk of employee turnover.

2) Create a safe work environment.

Employees need to feel safe and secure in their work environment, both physically and psychologically. This means that managers should ensure that the workplace is free from hazards, accidents, violence, harassment, discrimination, and other threats.

Unsafe work conditions and toxic workplaces lead to low morale, higher levels of absenteeism, and elevated turnover rates. Failure to create a safe work environment can drive up labor expenses because employees will require greater compensation in exchange for the physical and psychological risks they take by working for your company.

Managers should establish clear policies and procedures for dealing with any issues or conflicts that may arise and communicate them effectively to the employees. Furthermore, managers should foster a culture of trust and transparency, where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions, concerns, and feedback without fear of retaliation or punishment.

3) Establish a sense of belonging.

Employees need to feel that they are part of a team or a community where they can interact with others who share their values and goals. Organizations must be clear on their mission and values and establish best practices, rituals, and routines that attract, develop, and retain employees that align with the organization's purpose.

Managers play an important role in building a sense of community. They must be

• Selective when bringing on new talent

• Quick to address culture-damaging behaviors

• Skillful in resolving disputes

• Willing to remove individuals who do not align with the culture

Through their leadership, managers can stimulate the collaborations and teamwork necessary to build a strong sense of community within the organization.

4) Give work that builds employees' self-esteem.

Employees need to feel that they are valued and respected for their work and that they can grow and develop their skills and abilities. This means managers should assign challenging and meaningful work to their employees and provide them with clear expectations and feedback.

Managers should also offer training and development programs for their employees and support them in pursuing their career goals.

As employees move up the hierarchy of needs, opportunities to gain status, recognition, power, and influence become more important. Leaders must be intentional in providing employees with opportunities to expand their responsibilities and acknowledge their contributions.

5) Assist employees in pursuing their dream.

Employees need to feel that they are fulfilling their potential and achieving their personal aspirations. This means that managers should understand the interests and passions of their employees and help align them with the organization's vision and values.

Managers should also encourage creativity and innovation among their employees and allow them to experiment with new ideas and approaches.

Novelty, engagement, and retention go hand in hand. To retain employees at the top of the hierarchy, it is vital to provide them with the latitude to keep work fresh, exciting, and engaging while staying within the overall mission and vision of the organization.

Summary

By applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs to employee retention, managers can create a work environment that satisfies the diverse needs of their employees at different levels. This will increase employee satisfaction and loyalty and enhance employee performance and productivity. Ultimately, this will benefit both the organization and the employee. By identifying which stage your employees is on the hierarchy and identifying ways to satisfy their current need, you will increase their loyalty and decrease the risk of turnover.

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Thank you for reading this blog

I am a father, husband, executive coach, and former retail executive. My coaching expertise comes from 21 years of leading operation, sales, and marketing teams. I understand what it is like to feel stuck, undervalued, and underappreciated.

I also know what it takes to invest in professional development, climb the corporate ladder, and find fulfillment at work.

Your career path is a scavenger hunt. Each opportunity prepares you for the next. Allow me the opportunity to help you clarify your path and accelerate your professional development.

Talk with Dorian

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Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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3 Skills You Need for Managing Organizational Change.

Are you facing changes in your workplace that make you feel uncertain about how to navigate your career? You are not alone. Organizational restructuring and management turnover are happening at rates not seen since the last recession, creating heightened uncertainty in the workplace. As companies seek to keep up with AI advancements, rising costs, and tightening capital markets, more pressure is being put on employees to deliver higher results without incurring incremental costs.

Three skills you need to master

If you are in a situation where your role is changing significantly, there are three skills you need to master to position yourself for success.

Clarifying Expectations

Leveraging Your Network

Securing Resources

Clarifying Expectations

Everyone must be on the same page regarding expectations when roles and responsibilities change at work. Sit down with your leader, and ensure you understand what they want you to accomplish. Getting clarity on desired outcomes and operating parameters can help you to understand what is important and the actions you are empowered to take to deliver against expectations.

If you are taking on an expanded role, understand if any tasks will be deprioritized or completely divested. As a rule, if you are currently working at capacity, you can only take on additional work if some of your previous work is removed.

When collaborating with clients, I frequently use a full teacup as a metaphor for capacity. If a teacup is full to the brim, and you add a tea bag, the cup will overflow and make a mess.

To make tea without creating a mess, leave some room for the teabag. By sitting down with your leader, discussing your current duties, and aligning with them on what tasks will be removed, you create the capacity to accomplish your goals without making a mess.

Leverage Your Network

The second skill you want to leverage is accessing your support network. Take a 360-degree look at those around you. Who might have skills, knowledge, or insights to help you navigate your new environment successfully?

Employees frequently struggle with change because they are unwilling to communicate to those around them that they need help. Part of the benefit of working within an organization is collaborating with people with a shared mission. Connect with others within your organization, share your challenges, and request assistance.

By casting a wide net and taking in feedback from multiple sources, you can gain clarity on the actions you need to take to thrive within your organization. You can also establish strategic partnerships that will allow you to exchange value with your co-workers for mutual benefit.

Secure Resources

The third skill you want to use is securing resources. You can do this by starting with the end in mind. Define the ideal end state, and craft a plan to take you from where you are today to where you want to be. Then devise a strategy for gaining what you need to accomplish your goals.

When change occurs, it is vital to determine resource needs. For example, if you were planning a road trip to the beach, you would take the time to decide how you would get there, along with what items you

would need to bring to have a safe trip. You would take time to plan the trip to ensure you have enough gas, drink, food, sunblock, and other niceties necessary to make it to your destination and enjoy yourself once you get there.

Similarly, pausing to determine what resources you will need to navigate organizational change will help you reduce stress and find success. A few resources you may need are

• more frequent meetings with your leader to align on priorities

• additional training so you can effectively take on new tasks

• extra budget so that you can deliver against raised expectations

• more autonomy to make decisions without having to talk with leadership

The better you can articulate what you need to succeed and advocate for those resources, the better positioned you will be for success.

Summary

One constant thing in business is change—your ability to flow like water when your organization changes will position you for success. One of the things that makes water so unique is its ability to take on the shape of whatever it is in. Employees who can metaphorize themselves to fit into whatever environment their organization puts them in position themselves for long and successful careers.

Peter Drunker once said, "One can not manage change. One can only be ahead of it." The best way to stay ahead of the changes in your organization is to clarify what your leadership expects from you, leverage your network, and get the resources you need to succeed. This will allow you to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for what is coming next.

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Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

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