Hiring

As the overall quit rate continues to rise and the labor market further tightens, retailers across the country find it extremely difficult to hire enough well-trained workers to deliver a good customer experience. But while many generations are shrinking in the workforce, Gen Z is a rapidly growing generation eager to work and ready to…

Over 90 percent of the impact most consumer goods companies have on the environment can be attributed to their supply chains. Emissions from supply chains are 11.4 times higher than a company’s own operational emissions, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). That is more than double previous estimates. And since the past eight years…

After the past few difficult years it seemed the tough times might be coming to an end, yet I believe too many are beginning 2023 with more trepidation than hope. They have fears of a recession and see headlines filled with news of various organizations laying people off. While there are businesses that are struggling…

In recent years successful brands have been able to meet and exceed customer expectations at a period when demand skyrocketed and in-store shopping was limited. The reason? Investments in technology. By applying the same digital ingenuity that brands used to enhance the customer experience, retailers can combat staffing issues. Retailers are facing staffing shortages and…

In episode 376 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jenna Arca, director of workforce development at The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the United States. Arca discusses the launch of The Home Depot's Path to Pro job-seeker marketplace for skilled tradespeople and hiring trade professionals (0:47), the origin of the…

Since the onset of the pandemic, the future of the retail industry has been marked with uncertainty. Currently, retailers are trying to prepare for a looming threat of recession and inevitable changes to consumer spending in the face of continued high inflation. With so much unpredictability ahead, labor planning can be a particularly daunting task.…

Retailers should be preparing for peak season hiring as the holidays are just two months away. Since many retailers have struggled to fill open positions over the past year and a half, the thought of hiring enough seasonal help could be frightful, rather than delightful. Amid the Great Resignation, seasonal retail jobs dropped 7 percent from…

Every organization should be on an ever-evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey. In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Grainger, a leading business-to-business (B-to-B) broad line distributor. Carroll discusses Grainger's portfolio of environmentally preferable products (EPP), why the business focuses on environmental sustainability, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of disruption for retailers across the country. Many in the industry faced supply chain issues that resulted in drastically low inventory levels or even empty shelves. Some states imposed lockdowns that crimped business and led to innovations such as improved online shopping and curbside or in-store pickup of goods.…

Generation Z, or those born from 1997-2012, will be America’s largest generation by 2034, topping out at about 80 million. The oldest adult Gen Zers are already establishing potentially long-lasting earning and spending patterns, while the younger members of this demographic are still learning their first lessons about spending, saving and employer relations. To understand…