Situation

• A regional retail organization facing high turnover, declining revenue, and deteriorating stores
• Recognized the need to invest more in both capital improvements and people to sustain business
• Collective bargaining process had historically drained resources from necessary capital improvements and hindered ability to reward best performers

Approach

• Helped articulate the desired customer experience (Intangible Assets) and then the employment experience necessary to deliver that customer experience
• Analysis of all current jobs (Real Assets)
• Determine the jobs really needed to run the stores
• Developed clear job descriptions
• Conducted market pay analysis
• Designed the various Rewards and job structure to naturally attract, nurture, and grow the employees (People) to achieve the desired outcome
• Assisted in the evaluation of the appropriate allocation of available Real Assets between capital improvements and People
• Supported the design and financial analysis of workforce plans by store and in total to ensure the new structure would improve business and store performance

Results Include

• Efficient and balanced capital budget expenditures
• Workforce management plans that helped the COO, District Managers, and Store Managers in a more strategic approach to manage the stores, staffing levels, and scheduling
• New approach to training and development that is skills-based with clear career paths for staff at all levels
• A Rewards structure that is competitive and designed to support a culture of ownership (Intangible Assets) within a unionized environment
• Clear operational and People metrics for evaluating store and district performance.