The retail industry is without doubt one of the biggest departments in UK PLC. With around three million people working across retail and wholesale, it’s the largest private sector employer in the country. And right now, it’s also on the front line of the looming skills shortages that are likely to create challenges for all sectors.
So we’re absolutely delighted to have launched a formal partnership with the British Retail Consortium, which will allow us to help retailers find and keep the best available talent, while delivering career progression for flexible workers.
Flexibility in working hours is one of the most important reasons that people give for choosing to work in retail. But the problem is, this flexibility is often confined to sales assistants and support staff; when it comes to store management, flexible options are thin on the ground.
As a result, employees can become trapped by their need for flexibility, unable to progress their careers or develop their skills because the next step on the ladder is missing. And that has a social impact, limiting earning opportunities for low-income workers, as well as a commercial one.
We began tackling this issue early in 2016, working with the BRC to develop a pilot scheme with Pets at Home which investigated the options for redesigning store manager roles on a part-time and job sharing basis. And right now, we’re part-way through our Retail Pioneer Programme, again with the BRC’s support. The programme is helping five major retailers investigate how flexible working could deliver radical sustainable change for them and their employees.
And that’s just our starter for 10; by formalising this strong working partnership, we’re confident that we can take our passion for flexible opportunities to another level. Together, we are ideally placed to help retailers develop practical, flexible working solutions that will allow them to meet their 2020 goals, particularly with regard to gender equality, employee engagement and career progression.
The challenges ahead of the retail industry can’t be avoided; but well-designed, flexible management roles will go a long way towards unblocking career progression, and make the industry more appealing to workers of all ages. This partnership, and the potential for change that it offers, is the start of a new era for retail employers and employees alike.
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Published October 2017
