ENGAGED EMPLOYEES: THE ESSENTIAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

August 31, 2017

Electronic commerce continues to grow in both importance and power, changing shopper behavior and leaving traditional supermarket retailers hunting for methods to fight back. Now more than ever, the most powerful weapon may be your associates, so the challenge is getting – and keeping – those staffers as engaged as possible.

The newest report from CCRRC North America, “Surviving the Brave New World of Food Retailing,” details the power of these competitive challenges. And incredibly, a companion report from the council serving convenience stores (CCRRC North America NACS) offers clear insights on how to build employee engagement so your staff is best able to help you fight back.

The report, titled “People Power for C-Stores,” details how engaged employees help increase sales, profits and customer loyalty to ultimately grow your business. More importantly, the report demonstrates the simple, yet critically important steps, companies can take to help to build that engagement by improving the skills of all levels of management.

Some of those skills are clearly outlined through interviews in stores where managers were given new training. Those videotaped interviews show the small annoyances that led to friction between managers and their staff, as well as the simple steps needed to improve each situation. Those lessons resonate for managers in any retail environment.

Both studies — on retail relevance and employee engagement in c-stores — can be downloaded for free at www.ccrrc.org.