Getting your associates ready to reopen stores


Through a special arrangement, what follows is an article from the blog of Graff Retail.
Slowly, stores are being given the go-ahead to reopen. It’s time to make sure the retail staff is coming back from the best place possible. Here are five things to support the re-onboarding process:
Reach out and connect with your team: Approach this from a human perspective. Ask them what they have been up to. What has their family been up to? Share how you handled quarantining. This is strictly the process of trying to establish more rapport. Get them comfortable with coming back to work and being part of the team.
Acknowledge their fear: You don’t need to solve all their fears, rather create a space where they can be heard. Your team will also have uncertainties regarding job security when they come back. If swept under the table, they become bigger issues moving forward. The more you talk about the fear and uncertainty, the more you begin to normalize it and it becomes more comfortable for everyone to deal with.
Establish trust: We want to establish trust from both an emotional and physical perspective. Emotional trust is letting your employees know it’s okay to talk, share ideas and make mistakes without fear of reprisal. This essentially lets them know that everything’s going to be okay and, as the leader, you’ve got their back. Physical trust is letting your employees know how you are going to keep them safe.
Learning now: Just imagine how much better your store would perform if your employees came back with more knowledge about the products they sell, higher sales skills, better service and technical skills. Not only would you see an improvement in sales, but your employees would be much more comfortable and confident.
Set expectations: What’s going to happen? What’s it going to look like? What’s the process going to be? Let your team know about the measures you have taken and your expectations for them.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Where do you see the biggest challenges for retail managers who are onboarding retail staff as stores reopen? What suggestions would you add to those mentioned in the article?
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10 Comments on "Getting your associates ready to reopen stores"
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Marketing Strategy Lead - Retail, Travel & Distribution, Verizon
These are all great suggestions for preparing staff for reopening stores. Things I would add to the list would be what the store management is doing to make it a more physically safe environment for employees and consumers, such as face masks provided by the store for employees, social distancing policies for customers and staff, sanitation procedures, etc.
Podcast Host, Retail Influencer, Fractional CMO
I think being clear in communication and over-communicating will be critical during this time. One consistent theme throughout watching COVID-19 happen throughout the world is governments, groups, and individuals struggling to articulate how people should be conducting themselves during this crisis. Retail staff are going to be dealing with all manner of people, so keeping expectations and guidelines clear is going to be really important.
Managing Partner Cambridge Retail Advisors
I would be sure to teach them how to deescalate conflict with irate customers. We are seeing a rash of angry customer moments as we start to reopen. Problems with social distancing, masks and just pent up, free flowing anger. We need to be sure to protect our associates and guests from this pandemic madness by scripting responses to situations and instructing how to identify, deescalate and respond appropriately.
Merchant Director
For the retail staff at the stores I have visited over the past few weeks, the fear factor is a big deal. There is still a lot of staff that have not returned yet as they are afraid that even the best practices in place will not be enough.
This will take a lot of patience and trust on both sides to ensure that employees feel safe when coming to work.
Managing Partner, Retail Consulting Partners (RCP)
Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates
I’ll add another: empower associates. Nothing about this time is normal, and situations are going to throw curveballs every day. Empower associates to step up and make decisions when needed, and over-communicate. Ideally, managers will be able to capture those associate innovations and relay them back to district managers.
Managing Director, StoreStream Metrics, LLC
While everyone seems to be excited to reopen stores, it is critically important for everyone – staff and customers alike to appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic rages on! It seems that many of us forget this reality and there is a group of citizens that believe wearing a mask is a political statement. Planning and educating your front-line staff as to how to deal with these select few irresponsible (and arrogant) individuals must be an important element in every reopening playbook. Retailers should also empower and protect their store associates with a mobile tool to capture and “datalog” these rogue outbursts and behaviors on a secure platform – not unlike body cams being used by police departments.
Strategy & Operations Delivery Leader
Trust and transparency as well as continued open communications between management and the store associates will be critical during the reopening and what we consider our ever-changing way of life. The post-COVID-19 store associate engagement model is changing by the day and even the hour.
Retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, and all customer-facing businesses have to closely align with the local government’s rules and regulations on an ongoing basis. The ultimate goal is to keep not only the customers safe, but also their valuable store associates who are now on the front-lines.
Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations, LLC
I’m already seeing it. Employees are not keeping with the protocols their employers are mandating. We need to do all of the ideas shared in this article and emphasize the importance of compliance when it comes to health and safety. This is for the employees’ benefit as well as the customers. A diligent adherence to the health and safety protocols will create trust and confidence for everyone.
Global Retail & CPG Sales Strategist, IBM
Clear, concise and consistent commitment to executing a published statement of guidelines will make it easier for staff to follow. We are still seeing complex directions with mixed levels of execution from store to store. Consistency is key.