Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Staffing shortages have been one of the biggest issues facing retailers over the past few years. Even if employers are able to find the right people to hire, it can be difficult to keep them, given the increasingly competitive nature of the workplace. Employee turnover can drain the resources of a business, both in lost talent and in the cost of onboarding a replacement for the person who left.
Fortunately, turnover is usually preventable, and it’s not all about pay. Retailers who build a positive company culture, develop effective managers and offer employees opportunities for growth often find them staying longer and thriving.
To help retailers build the type of business culture where employees want to stay, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) has compiled an Employee Retention Toolkit, a set of tools, strategies and resources for reducing turnover. The kit includes practical tips from retailers, a couple of training courses, templates and employee management best practices.
NHPA’s Employee Retention Toolkit is available for $99 in the NHPA store at YourNHPA.org/shop. A free starter kit is also available at YourNHPA.org/human-resources. Below is an outline of what’s available in the full toolkit.
- Retention Strategies That Work. Review these 14 strategies for retaining employees to see what might be missing in your organization.
- How Top Retailers Reduce Turnover. Read how home improvement retailers create strong cultures that improve employee retention.
- Onboarding Handbook. This handbook includes best practices and checklists for developing an effective onboarding process, which is critical to long-term employee engagement.
- Employee Job Description Templates. Clear job descriptions reduce employee stress and increase engagement. NHPA has 19 job description templates to use as a starting point for developing your own.
- Identify Disengaged Employees. Evaluate the engagement level of your staff to see if you could be facing a turnover problem by using this survey template.
- Stay Interview Best Practices. Regular conversations with top-performing employees can help you spot problems early. This resource gives you some questions to ask.
- Exit Interview Best Practices. When an employee decides to leave, having a conversation about why could give you valuable insights into your business. This resource offers some questions to ask during the exit interview.
- Performance Review Template. Use this template to create an effective performance review and keep employees engaged.
- Retaining Talent Through Engagement and Wellness. This presentation reveals why you should focus on engagement and employee wellness, and then offers practical tips for doing it.
- NHPA Academy Catalog. Whatever your training needs, NHPA has a program to help. The catalog outlines all of the options in NHPA’s Academy for Retail Development, from options for individual growth to organizational development.
- Effective Incentives. There are many different ways to create perks and benefits that will encourage employees to stick with you. This list offers examples of incentives other retailers offer their employees.
- How to Attract and Retain Top Talent. In this short online course, you’ll learn all the stages of talent management, from recruiting to transition.
- Motivating Employees. This online course discusses the unique forces that motivate individuals and how you can use that knowledge to everyone’s advantage.
