December 12 worldwide is celebrated as the day when the retail community drives the purpose of thanking retail employees in organisations, and recognising and respecting their contribution in the way they serve and help customers shop. As the retail industry is becoming bigger, better and more competitive in India, the need for recognition and respecting its associates is also increasing. In the US, retail supports nearly 42 million jobs and contributes nearly $2.6 trillion to the country’s GDP. In India, retail currently employs over 43 million people and is among the fastest growing industry sectors that has witnessed remarkable transformation over the last two decades.
The Indian initiative was conceptualised by TRRAIN (Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India) led by its founder and earlier MD of Shopper’s Stop, B S Nagesh, with a vision ‘to make life better for all retail employees and spread happiness.’ The RED (Retail Employees Day) as it is popularly called is celebrated with millions of employees around the world. The Federation of Shopping Centres and Retailers (TAMPF) and the Business Excellence Department of Dubai’s DED and retailers covering 35 nationalities globally, keep participating year after year in a big way. Turkey continues to celebrate it as ‘Shopkeepers Day’ every year.
Sadguru, the great yogi, mystic, poet and author of some best-selling books, insists that great employees are those who have their minds and body working for them. Most people while at work are more pre-occupied than busy. Their own thoughts and emotions are such a big issue, that most of their time is spent dealing with that. No one has told them that they should work joyfully and that their work should be an expression of their joy. Generally people have been taught that they have to work hard, work smart but never to work with ease. Sadguru says “without investing enough time in perception, if life is all about expression, then it becomes a struggle.”
Nagesh further emphasis the important element in this celebration is that every employee’s individual purpose and organisational purpose, needs to be aligned. The process involves imbibing customer centricity as its core value and making the processes simple to understand and follow so that everybody involved in the value chain is happy. Nagesh also believes that inclusion plays a huge part in retail. Recently TRRAIN launched a new initiative ‘Pankh – Wings of Destiny’ through which they created livelihood for persons with disabilities.
Innovative ways of celebrating RED was witnessed all across the country. Vodafone acknowledged, addressed and thanked more than 10000 employees across the country through a webcast. At the store level, multiple employee engagement activities and conversation starter cards (I collect customer smiles), personalized mugs, pens and hand written “Thank you” notes were given out to employees. Lulu Mall, wished their employees with a joint cake cutting ceremony. Inorbit Mall kick-started the morning session with a red carpet welcome for employees followed with zumba and yoga workshops, flash mobs, cake cutting and distribution of certificates for excellence. Closer to home in Goa, Magsons celebrates employees day at a popular beach side property with an awards and acknowledgment ceremony, live music and games and a sumptuous lunch. At its 25th anniversary, this home grown chain of superstores, felicitated with a shawl, srifal and a silver coin, all its employees and vendors who completed a decade with the organisation.
Worker retention is high priority in an industry like retail where worker attrition rates are high. Enhancing career advancements plans is a good strategy for worker retention and requires imparting more learning and development opportunities. The industry sees this as a crucial area of engagement and with the galloping growth of retail space and experiences, both on-line and off-line, in India, it will not be long before the globally practiced ‘Retail Employees’’Day’ will soon be re-christened ‘Dukandaar Divas’ in India.
