Hourly wages are up for retail workers, but so are stress and burnout. A lot of this tension has to do with how we treat one another in everyday interactions — let’s face it, our tempers are shorter than they were pre-pandemic, especially during the holiday season.
If your team is bracing for the onslaught of holiday shoppers between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, here are ways to keep them from running to the North Pole.
This is not the time to scrimp on staffing
When the holidays approach, customer foot traffic is bound to go up. Hiring temporary employees to handle the uptick, if necessary, will go a long way to keep regular ones from feeling overwhelmed.
Advocate for employees while they’re working
The phrase “the customer is always right” doesn’t always apply. If you notice a customer unfairly laying into your employee, part of your job as a manager is to provide a helpful buffer and put out the fire. Stepping in to ask “How can I help?” will do wonders for all involved.
Understand an upset customer’s psychology
Inflation remains a key stressor for most of us (even though it’s rising slower than last year) and holiday shopping adds up. Plus, e-commerce and same-day delivery apps have made customers more impatient. And, of course, big upcoming family events have always been stressful.
So, having a sense of why a customer might be feeling Grinch-y could make it easier to communicate in a compassionate manner. You might not be able to change how they behave, but you can control how you react.
Let employees know when they’ll be working way ahead of time
Difficult customers aren’t the only source of holiday workplace stress. Last-minute shifts and unpredictable schedules are some of the leading factors in service-worker burnout.
The further you plan ahead in scheduling, the more relaxed employees will feel. That goes double for the holidays when child care is difficult to find and they need to organize (and likely travel for) quality time with loved ones. And that’s once they get their own holiday shopping done.
