Retailers Lag In Promoting Employee Satisfaction: Few Retail Firms Make Fortune's List of 100 Top Employers

Furniture World Magazine

With only nine retail companies making Fortune magazine's latest list of the "100 Best Places to Work," the industry appears to lag in promoting employee satisfaction, according to Herb Cohen, CEO of MOHR Retail Learning Systems, Ridgewood, NJ. "Retail firms were seldom regarded as great employers, but the Fortune study shows that some can do it right," Cohen said. Attracting and retaining good employees are pressing concerns for so many retailers today, said Cohen. "Poor morale and high turnover have become acute problems. And all the time there's more evidence that unhappy workers are bad for business and harm sales and customer loyalty. So the frequent indifference of retail companies is hard to fathom. The industry is labor-intensive and service-oriented and associates have direct, personal contact with customers. Nevertheless, among senior management there's a prevailing attitude that associates just hourly workers and are easily replaceable. They think: 'Why train them? They'll leave anyway."' Cohen noted that the Fortune list of best places to work is based on research done by recognized leaders in workplace consulting. "Their authoritative findings show that training and humane treatment pay off for these employers. In the case of the retailers named CDW, Kinko's, L.L. Bean, Lenscrafters, Nordstrom, Patagonia, REI, Starbucks and Wal-Mart they're successful businesses and successful employers. The two go hand in hand." "Each of these retail companies do three things, and they're not gimmicks," said Cohen: o Compensation is generally highly competitive and may include stock options, which provide employees with a tangible stake in the company's success. o By company policy, employee retention is a top priority and layoffs are avoided. o A major commitment is made to employee education, what Fortune calls "extensive training and development." "In fact, the surprise of the research is the extent to which training and development have grown in importance," believes Cohen. "While good compensation may not be enough to create a bond between employees and the company, training makes them feel special ... relevant ... connected to the company brand. According to the Fortune data, where there's a high level of trust, pride and camaraderie, employees are more likely to dig in and commit ... to the company, their jobs and their fellow workers." MOHR's own research has found that committed associates are the ones who build the critical relationships with customers that keep them coming back. "This ought to be a no-brainer for retailers. Employee education benefits both associates and the organization." Based in Ridgewood, New Jersey, MOHR Retail Learning Systems, Inc., is the largest provider of training programs to U.S. retail companies. Among MOHR's clients are CDW, Coach, Dayton's, Disney, Gap, JC Penney, Lenscrafters, The Limited, Nordstrom, Reebok, REI, Saks Fifth Avenue, Starbucks, Victoria's Secret and Wal-Mart. MOHR, a division of PROVANT, Inc., a leading provider of training and education services.