RETAIL SOLUTIONS UK NEWS
8 April, 2025 | by TRB News Team
Retail desk-free workers feel overworked and undervalued, with management not showing awareness around these issues.
A new survey from OneAdvanced‘s report ‘A Disenfranchised Workforce: the distorted reality threatening your business’, highlights a significant disconnect between retail’s frontline workers, their managers, and executive leaders, shedding light on differing perceptions of pay fairness, workload challenges, and the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill.
One quarter of retail managers surveyed admit that desk-free workers are not paid fairly in this sector, notably higher than the cross-sector average of 20%. Yet, this falls short of employee sentiment, as 42% of retail workers are dissatisfied with their pay. That level of discontent exceeds comparable figures in both logistics and passenger transport, where dissatisfaction sits at 33%.
When asked about solutions to staff attrition, the survey showed a striking contrast: while 59% of retail workers believe better pay and benefits would help keep staff from leaving, only 34% of managers agree. Yet, this remains the top-ranked solution among both groups, reinforcing the argument that improved compensation is key to reducing employee turnover.
Workload concerns also remain high among workers, with 76% stating they feel overworked due to scheduling and resourcing issues. In contrast, a third of managers and executives (35%) do not recognise this as a challenge, suggesting an underestimation of the strain on their staff.
A deeper analysis reveals that 31% of desk-free employees now expect to be overworked within their roles, while 30% blame staff shortages and 24% cite unpredictable demand as a major contributor. Surprisingly, only 18% of managers acknowledge that excessive workload leads to resignations or sick leave.
The upcoming Employment Rights Bill has sparked contrasting views between retail managers and desk-free workers. Notably, 51% of workers welcome the end of zero-hours contracts, seeing it as a way to drive commitment from employers and a path to securing employment benefits from day one. However, 25% of managers fear the new regulations will make them less inclined to hire younger, untried workers – a concern given that nearly one-third of retail employees are under 25 years old.
While 39% of retail managers support the legislation as it aligns with their company’s culture of mutual trust, a significant portion remains apprehensive about the financial and operational implications.
Anwen Robinson, SVP at OneAdvanced, said: “These findings underscore the pressing need for retail employers to bridge the gap in understanding between desk-free workers and management. With staff retention, fair compensation, and workload management at the forefront of workforce challenges, aligning employer-employee perspectives will be critical in shaping a sustainable and supportive work environment.”
“As the Employment Rights Bill moves closer to implementation, both employers and employees must communicate effectively to ensure policies and workplace practices benefit all stakeholders in the retail sector.”
Other key findings:
- Pay fairness discrepancy: 73% of managers think the lowest-paid jobs in retail offer fair wages, yet 42% of frontline workers disagree.
- Retention strategies: 15 % of managers believe flexible pay options would improve retention, but only 5% of workers see this as beneficial as they seek higher compensation and recognition in their roles.
- Confusion on roles and responsibilities: Just 4% of managers recognise confusion among desk-free workers regarding responsibilities, while 12% of them highlight this as a real issue.
- Flexibility perception gap: 73% of desk-free employees say they have little flexibility in their shifts, yet over half (63%) of managers actually acknowledge this as an issue.
- Reliance on zero-hours contracts: 27% of retail managers say they rely on zero-hours contracts, significantly lower than the average across sectors (34%) and much lower than in passenger transport (47%).
Learn more here.
