7 Ways to Identify and Fill Retail Staffing Gaps

Does your organisation have the right employee blend? Or do staffers lack the skills and expertise needed to do their best work?

Skill gaps can only be filled effectively when you know exactly what you’re lacking. Once you find the missing pieces of the puzzle, you can build a retail workforce which covers all the bases.      

Work out your goals

Before you do anything else, sort out where your retail firm is heading and the goals you want to reach. Once the bigger picture is clear, you can start assessing the staff you will need to achieve your objectives.  

Begin workplace planning

When you know where you want to be, your workforce planning can begin in earnest. This involves working out the number, type and rank of staff members needed. Each will play a part in your ‘dream team’, offering the ideal blend of knowledge, experience and skills required.  

Survey employees

Consider running an anonymous survey among your current employees. Why recruit externally when your best workers might already be under your nose? When workers are allowed to talk without being identified, you gain a far more accurate picture of what’s really happening in your workplace. Ask if their current roles match their job descriptions and whether they feel adequately supported at work. Then ask what would help them carry out their job more effectively.  

Take a fresh look at job descriptions

Refresh your job descriptions using your star performers as a benchmark. Rather than writing them to suit mediocre staff, try to base them on the performance of your top workers. This means you aspire to higher levels of achievement instead of being content with less. Once you have a set of quality job descriptions, you can work out how best to fill them.  

Work out the skill gaps

Using the results of your survey and a new set of job descriptions, work out how well each current staffer is meeting job requirements. If they are falling short, don’t despair. Knowledge is power. Once you know and understand your skills gaps, you can work out how to fill them.  

Use training, technology and career paths

Your staff might have fallen behind because you are under-utilising the latest retail technology or failing to keep up with training programs. It’s worth investing in customised development programs to maximise worker potential and help individuals meet the demands of their role. Workers are also more motivated when they see a clear career path ahead of them. Where possible, encourage staff loyalty by showing them they have a future with you.  

Recruit new staff to fill gaps

Now’s the time to assess the final staff requirements in your retail business. If you’re still struggling to fill staff shortages, consider a specialist recruitment agency to plug your retail skill gaps and offer retail job interview tips.