The pandemic’s impact on retail was so disruptive. It changed the industry forever, and a big part of this is the associate model. As retailers lean into technology, they’ve learned it can be the most significant component of agility around workforce management. To discuss the topic, Retail Refined host Melissa Gonzalez spoke with John Orr, Senior Vice President of Retail at Ceridian, an HCM (human capital management) platform that combines workforce, talent, and payroll management in one.
Orr said of his career, “I’ve spent 30 years working with retailers to provide technology that adds value, both to the bottom line and empowers associates.”
The challenges that retailers are facing complex. COVID-19 was a catalyst for retail to examine their ability to respond and be agile. That prompted them to consolidate and streamline technology, seeking visibility in a more real-time nature.
Orr noted that “employee engagement was often overlooked before the pandemic.” He now believes executives get it. “Around 75 percent of them view customer-facing employees as having a strong impact on sales, productivity, and profitability.”
Ceridian designed its Dayforce app to disrupt traditional barriers for retailers, getting rid of legacy designs that prevented them from moving faster. “They can make decisions quicker, have single access to accurate information, and stay compliant,” Orr added.
The app introduced some new features during COVID to engage employees, including on-demand pay and health and safety monitoring. “Last year, we focused on what do our customers need right now,” Orr said on changing product roadmaps.
Orr provided some success stories of retailers leveraging Ceridian’s technology, including DSW and Sephora. “Sephora had a specialist model for associates. With fewer people in-store, their operational model changed to generalists. That triggered new training on procedures and their role, delivered by our LMS.”
