Challenges Facing Attraction and Retention of Workforces in Human Resource Retail Sector

This article discusses the challenges faced in the human resource department in matters about attracting and retaining their workforces in the retail sector. It explores the challenges in attracting and retaining employees, such as war for raw talent, technological changes, engagement levels, poor corporate culture, and lack of adequate resources.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 1
Human Resource Management
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Introduction
The marketing industry appeals to many job seekers because it guarantees flexible
working, a wide range of job varieties to choose from and various opportunities. However, the
retail sector faces several challenges especially in attracting and retaining their workforce. In
most organizations, it is evident that most human resource professionals strive hard to ensure that
they have strong performing employees for better production. But with the current change in
demographics in the world and economy trends, retaining a steady and strong labor force has
become a challenging task. This paper will try to explore some of the challenges faced in the
human resource department in matters about attracting and retaining their workforces.
Challenges Facing Attraction of Workforces in Human Resource Retail Sector
Retail sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and offers a means of livelihood
to a number of families by improving their living standards. HR occupy e a huge place in the
development of the retail business. Disregarding this reality, both sorted out and sloppy retail
segments are battling against different human asset issues that require quick consideration. In
spite of the fact that both these segments may contrast in their scale and strategy for activities,
the human asset challenges are nearly the equivalent.
The boom that happens inside the retail segment in India and its comparing spike popular
for ability has underscored the need for powerful hour frameworks. The execution of HR has
unique noteworthiness in retail in light of the fact that the staff works in an exceedingly
particular climate.

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In any retail company, the general population who converse with the client, when a client
strolled into your store are the face and income getter of your organization. However, this
organizations face a number of challenges in attracting the workforces. They include:
War for Raw Talent
Many organizations are seeking the untapped talent in the market business, therefore,
causing competition for workers during recruitment. More people are exiting the market filed
than those joining the market sector workforce (Billsberry, 2007). Therefore, organizations need
to have unique and effective ways of attracting employees to their firms.
Additionally, the current generation entering the market field have different working
styles, values, and prospects. These various aspects portrayed by the new generation cause a shift
in the manner in which companies develop their marketing approaches. For that reason, retailers
ought to find new ways to employ, retain, and build their personnel.
Technological Changes
Current development trends in the technology field have affected all working areas in
people’s lives, but in respect to the human resource sector, technology has influenced the way
organizations recruit unique talent (Breaugh, 2008). Individuals not only look for job
descriptions online, but they also want to be able to engage, interrelate and comprehend the
employment brand. People place high expectations on what a firm has to offer and embracing
novel technology developments is no different. Social sites such as Twitter, Linkedin and
Facebook have become the principal channels which job searchers use to apply for employment
opportunities across the world (Syed & Kramar, 2017).
Constantly Looking for Top Talent

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With the increasing shortage of skills, companies experience a challenge in finding
skillful employees. Therefore, recruitment tactics need to be fixated upon drawing top rank
candidates who are devoted to developing the firm (Born & Kang, 2015). Hiring these top-level
candidates requires an organization to be ready to capitalize on their employment methods and
device valuations and screening competencies that will help them initiate better quality
applicants. Some of these methods include stressing on the cultural apt since that will become a
principal determining factor of a considerable tenure achievement in an organization (Syed &
Kramar, 2017). By planning, for the future accomplishment, human resource managers in
various organizations need to save monies to be used for hiring, training and progression
planning.
Engagement Levels
How employees relate to the organization matters a lot regarding productivity (Evans,
2015). Therefore, an organization needs to have proper engagement levels with its staff to
improve their chances of attracting or acquiring more personnel in their firm. Increasing the
engagement levels involves understanding the valued of an organizations workforce.
Poor Corporate Culture
Job hunters look for to work for a trader whose culture emulates what they want in a
working environment. Most applicants search for transparency, right work-life balance,
creativity, openness, and innovativeness. It is therefore important to uphold a firm brand prestige
since that will give the workforce a sense of pride in working for the organization and thus
attract many applicants.
Poor attractive aspect of the job openings

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For an organization to receive many job applications, the job opening needs to be
attractive enough to the targeted individuals. Several variables influence a candidate’s interest in
a job opportunity. Some of the aspects looked into by interested candidates include
compensation, potential co-workers, work duties, benefits, advancement chances, and the
geographic location of the job (Tay, 2017). Therefore, firms should develop new ways of making
their job openings attractive to increase the chances of more applicants.
Lack of Adequate Resources
Many human resource experts have to do with the few resources they have, and from
time to time they do not have much to use for a specific task. While some HR sectors have large
financial plans to place advertisements for job openings across the various social network
platforms, some may have to work with free employment boards or even take out space in
outdated hiring channels (Schenk, 2017). This approach can present significant difficulties with
finding competent applicants, and therefore firms should set aside some funds to cater for job
opening ads.
Failure to get the competent candidate for a particular job post
Some human resource professionals find it depressing when they lack resumes with the
required job skills from interested candidates. Some of these employee seeking organizations
have some job descriptions that are not relevant to the interested parties. This problem makes it
difficult for candidates to apply for the jobs (Tay, 2017). Businesses should review the position’s
job description to attract more job applicants to reduce the few numbers of job applicants.
Seasonal Demand

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During the holiday seasons, many retailers try to add temporary staff since these are the
busiest periods within the year. With the extra employees, these retail shops often end up with
less qualified and trained personnel who lack the adequate skills to serve customers. These
temporary workers tend to push away the regular staff making them feel inferior at their
workplace (Schenk, 2017). Thus, retailers should develop plans to assimilate the impermanent
workers during these seasonal times to enable them to learn the work system and get to
familiarise themselves with the regular employees.
Challenges Facing Retention of Workforces in Human Resource Retail Sector
In the current business world, there has been a lot of competition for employees or labor.
Businesses across the globe are seeking better ways to expand and open new job positions.
Therefore, from a human resource viewpoint, there is pressure for an organization to retain their
most skillful employees and to provide them with the best benefits for the advantage of the
organization. Maintaining the proper resources is one of the problematic roles an HR expert
encounters (Khatri & Gupta, 2015). In the present day’s market, many opportunities may give
people reasons to shift from their current jobs to more promising positions as a result; human
resource professionals need to be on the lookout to keep their personnel. Some of the challenges
in employee retention include:
Poor workforce retaining avenues
Attracting top rank talent is one task, preserving them is another job. Building a strong
long-term labor force also poses a challenge to the human resource sector (Frank, Finnegan &
Taylor, 2004). Therefore to maintain the employees, an organization should develop a
leadership plan that incorporates training and development of the employees to enable them to

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grow within the organization. Providing support and proper training to the staff of an
organization makes them feel dedicated and well prepared to start their new role (Thomas, 2009).
Moreover, rewarding the personnel by making several changes in the workplace benefits makes
them feel comfortable to air their grievances to their bosses.
Salary Dissatisfaction
Every single employee expects a high salary, and this is one of the reasons why some
staff quit the organizations. Retaining becomes problematic when a personnel quotes for an
extremely high salary that is beyond the company’s budget (Kotey & Slade, 2005). Every firm
has an employee budget that can only be raised to a particular limit.
Impracticable Salary Anticipations of Employees
It is worth noting that a company cannot meet the expectations of every employee. Every
worker should be reasonable enough to understand that they cannot get all the comforts they ask
for at the workplace. Occasionally, when the unworkable expectations are not met, these
employees opt to seek new jobs.
Recruiting the Wrong Applicant
Hiring plays a critical role in an organization's future success. Some applicants give
wrong information during interviews to secure a job http://retention.naukarhub//retention-
strategies. The false information later leads to mismatches in the organization when it is
discovered that there is a right candidate for the wrong position thus forcing the organization to
look for a new employee.
Job Opportunities are high

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Lately, there have been many competitions to attract the qualified workers in the market.
Therefore, most companies go an extra mile to lure these skilled candidates from their opponents
(Rawal, 2011). The disposal of such rewarding offers makes it difficult to keep the talented
personnel.
Lack of Job Rotation
If an employee stays at one job for an extended period, they get bored. The occupation
might be decent and exciting but depriving these workers an opportunity to do something new,
they might think of seeking new job avenues.
Reimbursement Packages
Workers seek fair pay for their labor. Consequently, the first step to help a retail
enterprise to retain its employees is to enhance its reimbursement packages which include
insurance, leaves, salaries, and retirement program http://retention.naukarhub//retention-
strategies. Additionally, a company can work to ensuring that its compensation packages are in
line with those of their contending companies.
Poor Working Environs
All employees seek for job satisfaction. Hygiene factors are some of the necessities that
promote pleasant working surroundings. Thus, for a company to keep its workers, it should
ensure that its employees working environs are conducive to maintain employee satisfaction at
work (Kotey & Slade, 2005). For example, a company can introduce environmental safety
measures and associated assessment line-ups to safeguard the well-being of its workforce best.
Acknowledgment

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Individuals who feel unacknowledged sometimes find recognition somewhere else. As a
result, developing a worker acknowledgment program could have a significant effect on the
ability of a company to retain its skilled personnel (Rathi & Lee, 2015). Many firms lack
recognition programs and a result they pose the threat of losing some of its qualified performers
(Raman, 2006). Therefore, an organization should analyze its employees to develop a promotion
or fast-track program to improve its acknowledgment sector (Boxall & Purcell, 2011).
Additionally, introducing employee of the year awards would be useful in helping retain a firm’s
staff.
Self-Development
Many employees often search for chances to grow their skills and talents for their
fulfillment and to increase their professional opportunities. So, the implementation of self-
development plans is an active means to intensify employee retention levels (Edgar & Geare,
2005). Sponsored education programs, seminars, training programs, coaching programs, and
conferences are some of the schedules that employees are attracted to at their workstations.
Inadequate Resources
Seeking a new job is challenging. Therefore most employees purpose not to go through
the hassle. No one wants to make their lives difficult, which is undeniably the chief cause of job
shifts from organizations or companies (Boxall, Macky & Rasmussen, 2003). When employees
feel they are not ready for the workload, they find more comfortable positions where the labor
demand is more practical in contrast. It is therefore significant for human resource managers to
do regular check-ups to ensure their staff are adequately skilled and provided for in this favor.

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Work-life Balance
When handling the employee resources of any company, it is easy to forget that they have
other duties to attend to after working hours (Pocock, 2005). Struggling to keep up a healthy
work-life balance is a struggle for most modern families, and many companies have come to
consider this to help their employees cope up with work and family. If a company fails to look
into the needs of their workers, they will look for companies that promote right work-life
balance.
Lack of clarity
Nothing can be more unsatisfying for a worker than the lack of a clear understanding of
what is expected of them on the job. In a performance motivated workforce privation of
transparency about job duties and prospects can cause panic and anxiety among employees who
are uncertain of what is expected of them (Goswami & Jha, 2012). Even worse is when a
member receives a negative performance evaluation based on expectations that he or she was
unaware of or was not informed. Companies should, therefore, purpose to give clear job
expectations to their employees to avoid awry scenarios.
Conclusion
Many job seekers have always been appealed by the marketing industry because it
guarantees flexible working, a wide range of job variety to choose from and various
opportunities. However, research has shown that the retail sector faces several challenges
especially in attracting and retaining their workforce. Therefore, human resource managers
should look into the problems encountered in attracting and retaining their employees and make
the necessary amendments in their companies for future succession. Additionally, the retail

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sectors should look out for the current changes in the industry to ensure that they are competitive
in the market.

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