Training

Why Big Retailers Are Paying for Their Employees’ Education
August 6, 2024 at 7:38 pm

The retail industry is at a turning point in its struggle to retain employees. According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, almost half of retail frontline workers are considering leaving their jobs in the near future. The implications are significant, given that the industry employs more people than nearly any other. Turnover can…

Walmart Announces New Training Programs for Skilled Trades
June 6, 2024 at 2:27 pm

Walmart will begin offering new training programs and certifications to fill high-demand roles across its business, such as HVAC technicians, opticians and software engineers, reports CNBC. The big-box retailer said it will also offer hourly store workers a bonus of up to $1,000 per year. Walmart’s new programs give employees more ways to move into…

Ikea to Provide AI Literacy Training to 3,500 Employees
April 24, 2024 at 12:36 pm

Ikea announced earlier this month that it will be providing 3,000 staff and 500 leaders artificial intelligence (AI) literacy training in an effort to embed the technology across its organization and embrace the "future of technology and humanity," the company said in a news release. The courses offered include AI Fundamentals, Responsible AI, and Mastering…

The Upskilling Equation: How Much Should Retailers Budget for Workforce Education?
March 21, 2024 at 11:04 am

Between the rise of e-commerce and evolving consumer preferences, today’s retailers face many challenges. While layoffs might help cut costs in the short term, a more strategic and long-term approach to navigating the current landscape is to build a more skilled workforce. According to the World Economic Forum, six out of 10 workers will need…

Upskilling as the Solution to Retail Staffing Shortages
March 20, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Retail workers are quitting their jobs at an unprecedented rate, with almost half of all frontline U.S. retail employees contemplating turning in their pink slip in the next few months. Compared to only 38 percent of the U.S. workforce looking to exit their position, retail leaders are exceedingly worried about employee retention and how a…

Training Generation Z for Confidence Rather Than Compliance
February 13, 2024 at 8:35 am

The retail sector has so much to offer Generation Z. In order to attract and retain talent from this digital-native cohort of employees, born after 1995, it's vital for retail employers to provide a benefits package that offers value way beyond remuneration. By doing so, retailers can benefit from highly skilled employees who in turn…

3 Ways to Ignite Your Hourly Workers
February 1, 2024 at 11:51 am

“Scott, we’re doing all we can to support our managers, but they just can’t seem to motivate our employees. What do we do?” I meet many business leaders in my work as a speaker and consultant and I hear their challenges. Four out of five conversations are about employees. Usually it’s their hourly employees, those…

Combatting Retail Turnover: The ROI of Employee Education
January 15, 2024 at 1:11 pm

Retail has historically experienced high employee turnover, leading many companies in this sector to simply accept and incorporate this trend into their business models. The prevailing logic has been that it's more cost effective to continually hire and train new employees than to increase wages or invest in other strategies to retain staff. This approach…

The State of Frontline Retail Operations Explained
January 11, 2024 at 2:58 pm

The retail landscape has undergone tectonic shifts in recent years, leaving managers to navigate sometimes unfamiliar if not entirely new territory. From deploying emerging technologies to training staff on urgent theft prevention strategies, today's retail leaders wear many hats as they work to boost productivity, deliver consistent experiences, and protect the bottom line. With 2024…

How to Train New Teams for the Holidays
December 6, 2023 at 2:31 pm

With the National Retail Federation predicting “record spending levels” for the holiday season, a lot rests on frontline workers being ready and capable to perform during the peak consumer surges. With managers tied up in scheduling, larger inventory volumes, and handling customer escalations, you need training that's consistent, engaging and effective. However, during these peak…