Absence management in retail

When a retail assistant fails to show up for a shift, shop service quality and takings can suffer. Finding temporary staff on the day can be a tough challenge. Colleagues scramble to fill the gap, while lines form at the till. The problem isn’t limited to outlets. As the demands of eCommerce fulfilment grow, unexpected gaps in the staffing to pick and pack goods also risks delayed deliveries and lost customers.

Absence can happen for many reasons – from minor illness, musculoskeletal problems, accidents and long-term health issues, and mental health problems including stress. All employers are being increasingly affected by demographic changes such as ageing, obesity and rising levels of diabetes – adding to the pressures.

Absence is often an early indicator of associated issues and frequently leads to parallel health cases and HR cases including disciplinary, grievance and other employee relations matters – all to be managed concurrently.

Managing the health of retail employees

Retail work can be demanding and physically strenuous. Repetitive movements may occur in many staff, while shelf-stackers and the warehouse team are undertaking manual handling tasks and are potentially vulnerable to physical hazards such as falling stock. While desk-based workers in backroom and eCommerce teams require ergonomic considerations.

It’s time to do more than the minimum.

Putting health at the centre of your workforce strategy is key to reducing the risks and costs of absence, retaining and attracting the staff you need to thrive.

Doing more than the minimum means getting proactive and monitoring health constantly and consistently, not just reacting. You need accurate data, smart insights and appropriate platforms – and your standard HR and enterprise systems were never designed for either.

Can you answer all these vital questions about every employee?

  • Are they fit for work?
  • Are they at risk?
  • Have you checked?
  • Can you prove it?

Integrated view of HR cases

Retail can be a complex business when it comes to HR case management. With staff spread around different offices, outlets and even warehouses, the right flow of information and communication is essential if you are to effectively manage and connect HR cases of any kind, whether they are related to grievance, performance or discipline.

Empactis HR Case Manager offers retailers the systems to provide line and shop managers the support they need to manage staff cases. It gives HR business partners a clear overview and supports them so they can reduce risks, manage the workflow and easily handle any overlaps between core HR case types and employee absence or health – and focus on adding value, instead of admin.

How Empactis can help retailers

The Empactis platform can help retail businesses to:

Explore them for yourself below – or contact us to discuss their potential value to your organisation.