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.

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.

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.

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.

In addition to the great list outlined by Kevin, I think the two most important items to add would be: be prepared for changes and demonstrate flexibility. The old saying “the only constant in life is change” rings true as retail stores open. Even in the past month, we have seen stores open with one approach, modify it soon thereafter, and even close doors again in the wake of spiking numbers. Being aware of the fact that change WILL happen as retailers find the right approach will help both management and associates respond to this change WHEN it happens. Flexibility will also be paramount in not only dealing with store or chain-wide change, but flexibility in dealing with associates as well. Store employees may have one attitude and level of comfort when stores reopen and then there may be incidents in their personal life or with co-workers that may impact their views on health and safety. Maintaining open dialogue and being flexible to these shifts in comfort will go a long way to maintaining the… Read more »

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.

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.

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.

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.