A new colleague has been on the team for three months. She knows the till, the collection and the name of every regular customer. And then, out of nowhere, there’s a resignation letter on your desk. Except it rarely comes out of nowhere. There are almost always signs. Do you spot them in time?
Why do retail employees leave so fast?
Take a look around your store. Chances are half your team is still studying. In the Netherlands, 43% of sales staff are under 25, according to the Dutch employee insurance agency UWV. Across all sectors, it’s 17%. Almost 80% work part-time and more than half are on a flexible contract. Finding a new side job takes no time at all. One click on a vacancy, and next month your colleague is working the till at the shop next door.
And the colleagues left behind? They pick up the slack. More than 43% of Dutch retailers say unfilled vacancies are pushing up the workload. One resignation makes the rota tighter. A tighter rota means everyone else has to run faster. And before you know it, the next person is looking elsewhere too.
Your store manager makes the difference
A good salary helps. Still, people mostly stay for the person who draws up their rota. At least 70% of the difference in engagement between teams comes down to the manager. That’s no small thing.
The catch? Those managers are struggling too. Worldwide, only 22% of managers feel engaged at work. In 2024, it was 27%. And a manager who’s running on fumes sees less of what’s going on in their team.
So what should you look out for? The colleague who suddenly stops picking up extra shifts. The one who sits on her phone during breaks instead of chatting. The one who calls in sick for the third time this month. That’s a good moment for a cup of coffee and an honest conversation. It’ll save you writing a job ad later.
Four moments to hold on to your people
Retention comes down to a handful of moments. Get those right, and your team stays. Looking for standalone ideas to boost engagement? You’ll find them in five strategies for retail employee engagement.
1. The first month is crucial
Sorry, you’ve got less time than you think. New colleagues make up their minds within the first few weeks. So day 1 counts. And so does day 5.
Good onboarding pays for itself. Hunkemöller has around 900 stores in 25 countries, and more than 6,100 employees learn in the HKM Academy. Since its onboarding got a complete overhaul, the new modules have reached completion rates of 86 to 98.5%. The old ones were stuck at around 65%. Now that’s what we call an upgrade.
At KARL LAGERFELD, everyone follows the same onboarding, whether they’ve just walked through the door or have been around for ten years. That way, the whole team speaks the same brand language from day one. And how do you prepare someone for their first solo shift? That’s another chance to build confidence.
2. A few months in, the question comes: what now?
After a few months, your colleague is fully up to speed. She knows the till inside out. And then the question pops up: is this it? 94% of employees say they’d stay longer at a company that invests in their development.
The next step doesn’t have to be a promotion. Becoming a product expert, a buddy or the team’s go-to trainer is growth too. Find out how to create a career path.
3. Busy weeks: watch the energy
Think December. Queues at the till, boxes piling up in the stockroom, a rota full of gaps. That’s exactly when people drop out. Keep an eye on who keeps stepping in, and on who suddenly goes quiet. Share out the tough shifts fairly, and give people some breathing room after a peak. You’ll find more ideas in 3 tips to boost vitality on the shop floor.
4. Every week: ask how it’s going
Want to spot the signs? Then you have to ask. Just Eat Takeaway onboards new colleagues with Take Off, a 100-day onboarding programme. Every week, they get three short questions. Do I feel at home? Is the job what I expected? Am I making a difference? The answers go to both the employee and their manager. On a dashboard, the manager sees straight away where to step in. No more guesswork.
Don’t forget the little things either. A specific thank-you after a tough week sticks for longer than you’d think. And cake always helps. When the HKM Academy launched, store managers received a baking kit. Was the whole team certified? Then the oven went on.
Has your team drifted apart a bit? Then play Vlugge Vrienden, the Dutch card game we created with publisher Uitgeverij Thema. Everyone gets a secret question. You have to get the answer out of a colleague without giving away what you’re after. Fifteen minutes later, you know more about each other than after a year side by side at the till.
Employee retention is a conscious choice
Keeping employees in retail calls for a fresh, creative approach. It’s about striking the right balance between challenge and recognition. Give people room to grow and turn your store into a place where they love to be. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new ways to keep your team engaged. Because happy employees are your brand’s best ambassadors.
Fancy brainstorming how to keep your people happy? Let’s talk, and make the retail world a little better. One happy employee at a time.
