Hays Retail Survey Reveals Lack of Communication is in Danger of Increasing Staff Churn

PR Log (Press Release) – Oct 02, 2008 – Hays Retail announced the results of a new survey carried out by the recruitment specialists Hays Retail and Barclays Commercial Bank revealing that a lack of career opportunities is the main motivator for changing roles in the retail sector.

The report, which aims to reveal the truth behind attracting talent in the retail market is the result of a programme of extensive research involving retail employers and employees.  

Almost half (47%) of employees working in a retail job (http://www.hays.com/retail/ ) feel that they aren’t offered the scope to progress within their organisation and therefore, have to look elsewhere to move up the career ladder.

However, according to the report from the recruitment specialists (http://www.hays.com/ ), it seems employers have a very different perception. 80% of those surveyed feel they give their staff room to progress and two thirds believe that their staff have the skills required. Yet they still state in the survey a lack of suitable candidates as their greatest recruitment challenge.

According to Clare Kemsley, Managing Director of Hays Retail, for employers to attract – and keep – the best employees, “employers need to communicate and give more detailed information of what training and career development opportunities are available within their brand and set clear career paths from the outset, before their staff look elsewhere.”

Jane Galvin, a director in Barclays Commercial Bank’s Retail and Wholesale team, commented on the findings: “The report identifies a perception gap between what staff and employers think about opportunities for career progression.  At a time when retailers need a motivated workforce to navigate challenging trading conditions, recruiting and retaining good staff remains key. The most successful companies will continue to be those who keep staff happy and tap into their customer knowledge which can help retailers quickly identify trends that will increase sales and customer retention.”

Retailers continue to look to e-commerce for opportunities, with 93% of respondents believing this sector still has scope for continued growth over the coming years.

“This new Guide gives a deeper than ever insight into the retail profession and the challenges facing employers as they go about attracting talent into their organisation,” concluded Clare Kemsley.  

About Hays Retail:
Hays Retail is a subdivision of Hays Plc, the FTSE 250 Company which employs 7,753 staff operating from 376 offices in 25 countries across 17 specialisms including marketing jobs (http://www.hays.com/marketing/ ), finance jobs (http://www.hays.com/accountancy/ ) and legal jobs (http://www.hays.com/legal/ ). Hays Plc placed circa 68,000 candidates into permanent jobs and paid circa 46,000 temporary workers weekly during the year ending June 07.

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