A schedule that is both fixed and flexible is one of the most important perks we can offer our employees. This may seem counterintuitive, but in reality retail workers want predictable hours (and income) along with the ability to adjust their schedule to fit it around other life events.

Some of our big box counterparts don’t take into account the fact that their employees have classes, childcare, and other commitments that make it essential that they have the same hours from one week to the next.  Offering this to your employees will give you an advantage over competing businesses.

Another factor that is important is flexibility. We encourage our employees to “sub” for each other, posting a list of open shifts and giving a small bonus when they fill in for someone needing time off.

We also schedule our staff so that they hardly ever work every weekend. This means that someone needing a Saturday or Sunday off can often find someone from the alternate week to trade with. We have our schedule set up in 4 hour increments (although 8 hour days are encouraged) to give added flexibility.

A fellow retailer recently told me about a mobile app that lets employees trade shifts online, which is especially perfect if you have a lot of younger staff members whose mobile devices are essential to the way they organize their lives.  Although we haven’t tried it, she felt that the convenience of WhenToWork was well worth the annual fee. There are several similar services available, including WhenIWork and ShiftPlanning. 

Retail wages are often not competitive with other fields, so flexibility of scheduling is an important way attract the best possible work force.  It pays to acknowledge that each of our staff members has a life outside of the store, and that we respect that fact by making their work fit smoothly as a key component.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder