The notion of leveraging your people may sound cold and calculating, but if done right, it is an important way to help your team feel connected during these difficult times. That’s just what one retail chain set out to do.
Kate Railton is VP people and operations for Mejuri, a chain of jewellery stores with locations in Canada and the U.S. At the recent DX3 conference, she explained how her team worked to understand the needs of staff.
“We started with surveys to determine the pain points and provide guidance and really answer questions for our bosses. We also did quarterly ‘town halls.’”
The surveys helped management understand how to make jobs more engaging for staff. “And for stuff that couldn’t be changed, we could identify what needed to be explained.”
The result was to bring all sides together better. “The process helps to close the gap between what’s happening for the retail staff and what’s happening for the management, so everyone can be working from the same page.”
How to build a case with management to use this approach—and keep staff engaged in the process? Railton says it’s important to share the results of the surveys and other personnel metrics on an ongoing basis. That way, everyone will look forward to participating, so they can see the results themselves and witness the change that is guided by these surveys.
Through it all, her team has played a key role in the process. “Your HR department is your partner across the entire business,” she says.
