Retail Insider’s Post

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Unionized Dock Workers Strike Impacting Retail Supply Chain with Potential Impact on Promising Holiday Consumer Spending. My special report explains how agility can help retailers stay ahead during this critical time. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3XP18tk #RetailStrategy #SupplyChain #AgileRetail #EVOADigital

An Asda staff #survey has revealed some interesting insights into employee confidence in the supermarket's #strategy. The annual questionnaire, completed by 75,591 workers last month, highlighted that only 47% of respondents expressed confidence in the grocer's long-term plan. Additionally, 48% were unable to identify the benefits of Asda's 'Project Future', described as a significant IT transformation. Notably, just half of the staff expressed confidence in the supermarket's ability to act on survey feedback. #Asda #EmployeeEngagement #SurveyInsights #ITtransformation

Pay rate keeps increasing. Today Walmart came out saying they will raise starting rates and redesigns bonuses. Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Now per state this rate can fluctuate upwards. Washington state has the highest Minimum wage of $16.28hr currently. Workers are making more in regards to wages, yes #inflation has increased but, the hourly wage is still staying up and keeps increasing. Workers are now getting more PTO and flexible holidays off as well. On the average, a quarter of American say they are earning more than they did prior the pandemic. Will this still stay the course in 2024? #wagesandsalaries #2024predictions #hiring2024

Distributors: union risks for bigger, automated warehouses. 1.       This article doesn’t detail the $55MM++ cost of Kroger’s “sheds”. a.       This article does: https://lnkd.in/gRBwxVna b.      Unions love to hold hostage, big, fixed automation serving scads of customers c.       Walmart pays their drivers between the DCs and stores the highest in the land. Otherwise, if unionized, a union could shut down a DC and 150 stores. 2.       Key question: how do you both automate and populate DCs with high-paying, retained, X-trained, engaged, and non-union employees like Costco does? Ans: get a copy of the book: “The Case for Good Jobs” by Ton (Read my review at Amazon) 3.       BTW, Kroger and Albertson want to merge to try to survive. With too many unions and debt, they are high-cost, high-prices in contrast to Walmart, Aldi, Lidl, and Trader Joe’s.

How Will the Case of Tesco Stores Ltd v Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers and Others [2024 UKSC 28] Impact Fire and Rehire? In 2007, Tesco introduced an enhanced pay scheme known as “Retained Pay” following a re-structure of its distribution centres. This re-organisation resulted in some sites closing and Retained Pay was intended to incentivise existing staff members to relocate. To read the full article, click here: https://lnkd.in/e4tApYGM #AcuityLaw #FireAndRehire #EmploymentLaw

Starbucks Faces Unions, Higher Costs Some 500 Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) stores have union labor. That makes keeping costs in check and raising revenue a challenge. When Brian Niccol, the new CEO of Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), left Chipotle to take the job, he knew the coffee shop chain was struggling. Earnings were poor. Same-store sales were stagnant. The stock had fallen. Stores were slow serving customers. A labor movement had started. He may not have known how quickly it would grow. Successful unions almost always mean higher costs. Starbucks said it would try to build a constructive relationship with labor. According to Reuters, Niccol said in a letter on Tuesday that he "deeply respects" the right of workers to choose to be represented by a union and that he was committed to "engage constructively." Recently, workers at 500 stores voted to unionize. The union now represents 11,000 workers. That number is modest given the over 16,000 U.S. Starbucks locations, but union membership is growing rapidly. Lynne Fox, president of Workers United, who represents the members, recently said, “Starbucks partners have boldly demanded a voice on the job and with it, strong contracts that ensure respect, living wages, racial and gender equity, fair scheduling and more.” A living wage at Starbucks often means higher pay. Starbucks figures show that baristas, the frontline workers, can make as little as $15 an hour. The company said the average worker makes $17.50. At $15 an hour and an eight-hour workday, the annual total is $30,000 before taxes.

This week, Lidl supermarkets announced that their entry level jobs will be paid at least £12 per hour (more for insider the M25 & longer service). For a 40 hour week that’s a £25k salary off the bat. Lidl aren't any kind of outlier in this sector. https://lnkd.in/e6YF8Tbu The rate reflects that Statutory National Minimum Wage will rise by 9.8% from 1 April 2024.  Last year we saw 9.7%. Asking around, it's rare that SMEs can afford to lift their entire pay scale to anywhere near this, and the financial gap between entry level & other roles just keeps on narrowing annually. Whilst no-one is denying the need to pay a fair wage at entry level, the real world knock-on is that seeing that differential falling away is creating tension for some employee groups.  Why have they taken on responsibility, training, skills & stress when it looks like they're being rewarded proportionately less over time? We can work on blurring the lines by providing those groups with non-monetary opportunities, benefits or great experience but, ultimately, isn't cash still king? #suffolkbusiness #recruitment #hrconsultancy #costoflivingcrisis ⬇⬇⬇ Raspberry HR is me; Shelly. I’m the business-focussed HR Consultant that busy leaders of small, blossoming companies and charities keep coming back to for calm, pragmatic HR solutions & strategy. www.raspberryhr.co.uk

Aldi UK said it plans to hire 5,500 more staff this year as part of its growth plans. Last week the discounter, Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket, said it is investing more than £550 million in expanding and enhancing its UK store and distribution footprint in 2024, taking investment to £1.4 billion including last year.   With over 1,000 stores, the German-owned chain has a 9.3% market share, as of Kantar data last month, compared to 13.7% for third-placed Asda and 8.8% and 7.5% for Morrisons and Lidl in fifth and sixth.  Aldi said new roles include cleaners, store assistants and store managers, as well as roles in its 11 regional distribution centres and at head office in Atherstone, just north of Coventry.  Store and Warehouse Assistants at Aldi receive a starting salary of £12.00 rising to £12.95 nationally, while those working within the M25 receive £13.55 rising to £13.85. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors http://ow.ly/LuOY105jj9a

Supermarkets fight for staff: Aldi raises pay again - HRreview https://lnkd.in/epbuddDV #DisruptHR #Leadership #Pulsitude #Culture #Strengths #Recognition #OwnYouPerformance #Learning #ContinuousPerformance #CognitiveDiversity #Reputation #Syncademy #EmployeeExperience #PeopleAnalytics #PulseSurvey