Flexibility in work is no longer a nice-to-have - it is a must. Especially in food retail, it is essential for supermarkets to deploy employees at the right time and to take their wishes into account. Within the industry, we therefore see a clear trend: employees expect more say in their schedule, and technology makes it possible to respond intelligently.
Retail employees - and especially young people and students - want to be able to combine work with school, sports and social life. Employers find that the traditional way of scheduling is under pressure. Employees do not expect complete self-scheduling, but they do expect to have influence on when and how often they work. Think about indicating availability, exchange requests or being able to respond quickly to open shifts.
This is in line with the broader movement in the labor market: employees want to be heard. Not necessarily full self-scheduling, but influence on when and how often they work.
At R&R, we believe that flexibility works - for employees and employers alike. That's why we don't support a full self-scheduling model, but we do offer practical tools for with the R&R Job App:
This creates balance: employees feel involved and heard, while managers remain in control of efficient and profitable scheduling.
The biggest challenge with flexibilization? Keeping an overview. Because as soon as you have to deal with changing availabilities, unexpected exchange requests and multiple locations or departments, you need more than an Excel sheet. Smart WFM software enables supermarkets to schedule flexibly without losing grip.
➤ Want to keep a grip on labor costs and staffing in addition to flexibility? Then read our blog on how R&R Insights helps you create better rosters in the supermarket.
Flexible working in retail is an ongoing development - and technology plays a key role in this. Employees expect to have a say, and employers are looking for ways to facilitate this without sacrificing efficiency. By finding the right balance between involvement and control, you can use workforce management strategically.
