Retailers count on their store employees to implement new technology,
launch initiatives, engage with customers and work more efficiently. But more
often than not these critical team members are left behind.
For years, retailers have tried to mitigate the effects of a disengaged
frontline workforce through different strategies and technologies. Some brands
implement punitive task-management systems, causing employees’ passion
and enthusiasm for the brand they support to all but evaporate. Some retailers
incentivize employees with prizes and contest payouts, but they fail to connect
the dots between a frontline worker’s day-to-day role and the brand’s larger
vision. Employees at these companies have limited understanding of the inner
workings of the business they support and therefore lack crucial knowledge
that makes them useful decision-makers.
The solution is an altogether different approach,
one that starts with frontline engagement.
