Sainsbury's Workplace Transformation Challenges During Global Pandemic

This report investigates the challenges faced by Sainsbury's in implementing workplace transformation due to the global pandemic within the UK retail sector. It explores the concept of workplace transformation, factors impacting it during the pandemic, and specific challenges encountered by Sainsbury's. The research methodology involved primary data collection through questionnaires from 30 Sainsbury's employees, analyzed using thematic perception test technique and quantitative methods. Findings highlight remote working, economic difficulties, skills shortages, and engagement as major obstacles. The report concludes that Sainsbury's faced challenges adapting to changes brought about by the pandemic, including the need for cloud architecture, hybrid working models, and workspace automation. Recommendations include fostering a supportive environment for change, engaging key stakeholders, and aligning technology with business strategy. The report emphasizes the importance of employee understanding, collaboration, and communication in overcoming these challenges, suggesting that with appropriate strategies, Sainsbury's can enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.

RESEARCH PROJECT
TOPIC
To identify the challenges faced by organizations when beginning
with workplace transformation due to global pandemic in the context
of UK retail sector: A study on Sainsbury

TABLE OF CONTENT
• Introduction
• Literature review
• Research methodology
• Findings and discussions
• Conclusion
• References

INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
With the introduction of pandemic situation, the requirements of workplace transformation arises on an urgent basis as the employees
requires to complete their tasks from online sources. For recent project, Sainsbury has been chosen which highlight the aspects with the help
of appropriate tools and techniques that are effective enough to illustrate issues in highly effective manner.
Research aim and objectives
• Aim
• The aim behind current study is to evaluate challenges faced by Sainsbury while bringing workplace transformation due to
global pandemic situation within the UK.
•
• Objectives
• To develop an understanding about the concept of workplace transformation.
• To analyse factors that impact workplace transformation due to global pandemic.
• To identify various challenges faced by Sainsbury to adopt workplace transformation.
• To recommend various strategies to lower down the effects of workplace transformation.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Theme 1: Concept of workplace transformation
As per the views of Baptista and et.al., (2020), it has been identified that workplace transformation is the reconsideration of work place
premises to accommodate diversified kind of working to their employees. It helps to improve workforce abilities, tools and skills to keep up
to date with the continuous changes within the organization's business strategy. Workplace transformation is hugely driven by the very fast
shift to a work from home atmosphere resulting from the pandemic situation. It is directly related to the productivity gains required into both
businesses and public sector. In today's modern workforce, flexible remote work options are considered pre-requisites for many. Apart from
this, there are also some clear benefits gained by the firm through empowering employees to work from home or locations other than the
centralized office space.
Theme 2: Factors that impact workplace transformation due to global pandemic
Kwok, Watabe and Ahmed, (2021) states that there are various factors that affects the workplace transformation such as the culture
of the establishment must be according to the vision and mission of the establishment. The values of the firm also affects the changes
within the organization as it affects the overall functioning of the firm in highly effectual manner. Company culture has a powerful
impacts and most significant factor that creates the dynamic, vibrant and encourage leaderships which offers the acceptance and
implements changes among the establishment. Apart from this, external factors might include technological advances, new and
advanced opportunities, innovative fashion, competition, government rules or regulations, social changes, etc. are also contributed
their p[art within the changes among the organization which offers high amount of workplace transformation.

CONTD.
Theme 3: Various challenges faced by firms to adopt workplace transformation
According to the Wainwright and et.al., (2019) it has been identified that although workplace transformation helps to promote certain
successful measures within the organization and hence enhance the productivity level of employees but it also consists of certain challenges
which are highly necessary to resolve at utmost priority basis in order to make the process more successful in every term. With the
requirement of workplace transformation, the protocols within the business also increases which needs to be address by the management
people. IT protocols and security measures also acts as major challenge while transforming the workplace into something new and advanced.
The management team also have to consider the company culture, lack of resources, lack of clarity over budget aspect, security measures,
agility challenge, etc. before making the work premises' transformation in effectual manner. Hence, the management highly required to keep
focusing over the objectives of the firm, define scope in appropriate manner and remove poor allocation of resources in order to make work
space transformation successful for company and employees as well.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Data collection
Information gathering can be done by two ways i.e. Primary and Secondary. Primary collection refers to collection of data through specific
methods which may include questionnaire, interview, etc. while secondary data collection describes assembling the data from previous
researches. In order to complete this investigation primary data has been collected through questionnaire method along with considering
certain secondary aspects as well.
Sampling
This also has been done by two ways i.e. simple random sampling and systematic sampling method. Random sampling method describes the
collection of data from any set of group in order to collect information while systematic sampling method refers to collection of information
from specific set of people. For the purpose of survey in this report, 30 employees of Sainsbury has been chosen through random sampling
method to determine research topic appropriately.
Data analysis
This refers to the process of explaining things that are collected at the stage of primary data collection. It involves qualitative, quantitative,
text, diagnostic and statistical analysis techniques in order to gather the data. In this report, to analyse qualitative data, thematic perception
test technique has been used.

CONTD.
Research type
Research is basically divided into two types such as Quantitative and Qualitative. Qualitative research refers to collection of data through
open-ended and formal communication. On the other hand, quantitative collection of data done by assembling the information into numerical
terms. In the current study the data has been collected with the help of quantitative method.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
• From the above interpretation, it has been explained that workplace transformation is a general concept that has been known to each and
every employee within the organization. Apart from this, the firms still face certain challenges in order to make their workplace
transformation highly effectual in manner specially during the pandemic situation. Thus, it had been identified that remote working,
economic difficulties, shortage of skills and enhanced requirements all are the major challenges that has been faced by Sainsbury.
However, the major obstacle that has been identified by the collection of data is that engagement and uptake across the teams and
departments are the act as significant obstacle to implement the successful transformation at office premises. Moreover, the most
impactful trend that has been coming specifically after introduction of pandemic situation requires certain necessary changes such as
cloud architecture, hybrid working and automation of workspaces.
• Although, according to the employees of Sainsbury, it has been evaluated that Sainsbury utilizes effectual measures in order to deal with
certain challenges that has been faced by them during Covid-19 regarding work space transformation because of their effective
management practices. In context and identification of barrier that stops the firm to come forward at the time of implementing certain
changes among the establishment. Hence, it had been identified that lack of adequate training sessions to the employees becomes one of
the major barrier while implementing changes during pandemic situation because the introduction of Covid-19 was very uncertain and no
company as well as their employees are aware and pre-planned their actions according to them. Hence, they faced serious conditions and
implication regarding the same. Thus, it has been analyzed that various challenges have been occurred in front of the establishment while
adopting necessary changes among the establishment.

CONCLUSION
• From the above report, it has been concluded that there are various challenges that has been faced by the Sainsbury in order to perform
workplace transformation that is highly required specifically at the time of pandemic situation. Within the above report, the concept of
workplace transformation have been discussed with the appropriate definitions provided by the previous scholars in order to perform the
task in effectual manner. Apart from this, the factors and challenges also have been obdurate by utilizing both the methods of data
collection and data interpretation. For effective illustration, data has been collected through survey method under which 30 employees of
Sainsbury have been chosen through random sampling method which helps the researcher in order to express their view points in order to
elaborate the concept in detailed manner along with certain measures that helps to improve the firm to get over from challenges.
• Hence, it is important to make the employees understand about the workplace transformation that this specific concept will lead towards
wide range of employer benefits that also includes empowering them to work in most effectual manner. It also helps to increase the
productivity level among employees as well as their satisfaction level regarding their work role so that they are appropriately able to
perform their tasks. Thus, with the help of better collaboration and communication techniques, Sainsbury is able to overcome from the
challenges that has been faced during the Covid-19 situation.

RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to deal with challenges that has been faced by the Sainsbury in terms of changing their workplace premises, there are various
recommendations that needs to be followed by the establishment such as :
• Creation an atmosphere that support and highlight the desire of changes among the employees helps the firm to appropriately able to make
changes easy and successful in nature.
• Finding correct and appropriate stakeholders are the ones who help them find support from leaders as well as management people in order
to make their employees understand about the changes.
• Alignment of technology with the business strategy as technology plays the vital role while resolving business challenges along with work
place transformation objections.

REFERENCES
• Baptista, J., and et.al., 2020. Digital work and organisational transformation: Emergent digital/human work configurations in modern
organisations. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, p.101618.
• Kwok, A.O., Watabe, M. and Ahmed, P.K., 2021. Final Thoughts: Towards the Future Workplace. In Augmenting Employee Trust and
Cooperation (pp. 115-122). Springer, Singapore.
• Wainwright, D., and et.al., 2019. Extending working life and the management of change. Is the workplace ready for the ageing
worker?. Ageing & Society, 39(11), pp.2397-2419.
• Govender, C.M. and Adegbite, W.M., 2022. EVOLVING ROLE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS IN THE 21st
CENTURY FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WORKPLACE. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 26, pp.1-16.
• Mustafa, M.Z.B., and et.al., 2020. Vocational College Teachers In Malaysia: Confirmatory Factor Analysisfor Job Attitude. PalArch's
Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 17(9), pp.5091-5098.