82% of Retail Store Managers Say They're Understaffed and Have Problems with Staff Scheduling

14 November 2006: A survey of retail store managers, selected from the UK's top 50 retailers, conducted by Kronos Incorporated, has highlighted that 82% of respondents believe that stores are often understaffed for the volume of work required and 83% of store managers agree that customer service would be enhanced if staff scheduling was improved.

Budget constraints, holidays, sickness, staff turnover and unpredictable customer flow are highlighted in the survey as barriers to getting staffing levels correct.

The survey also highlights that individual retail stores are spending on average three hours every week drawing up staff schedules in each store with some larger grocery retailers claiming to spend approximately 40 hours each week on the task — and others spending in excess of 80 hours. Of the retailers questioned, 50% are relying on manual systems to prepare schedules, with paper-based systems and spreadsheets being the most widely used methods to draw up the rotas. More than 50% of respondents believe that the key to a more efficient scheduling process lies in an automated, computerised scheduling system.

Staff scheduling becomes more problematic in the run up to Christmas with 61% of retailers planning to recruit between 5% and 40% more staff over this period. The increase in overall staff numbers will result in more administration time preparing staff rotas, with stores expecting to spend between one and seven additional hours each week on this task.

Conversely, overstaffing is also a problem for some stores, with 34% of retailers agreeing that overstaffing happens for a combination of reasons including unpredictable delivery arrival times, afternoon lulls and an unexpected fall in customers.

Keith Statham, managing director of Kronos' UK commented: "The in-store customer experience is one of the few remaining ways for retailers to differentiate themselves. Systems for merchandise management, price optimisation and supply chain management have resulted in many efficiency improvements and now retailers are becoming increasingly aware that having the right staff, in the right place at the right time can deliver maximum service at minimum cost."

About Kronos

Kronos empowers organisations around the world to effectively manage their workforce. At Kronos, we are experts who are solely focused on delivering software and services that enable organisations to reduce costs, increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and ultimately enhance the level of service they provide. Kronos serves customers in more than 50 countries through its network of offices, subsidiaries, and distributors. Widely recognized as a market and thought leader in managing the workforce, Kronos has unrivalled reach with more than 30 million people using a Kronos solution every day. Learn more about Kronos at www.kronos.com/uk.