The retail sector has its own unique set of HR and Health & Safety regulations and issues, our experts can give bespoke solutions for your retail business. We tailor the HR, Health & Safety and Online Training services we provide to ensure your staff are happy & supported in their retail job and to keep your customers, staff and visitors safe in your retail venue!
How are we different from other outsource HR and Health & Safety companies? We don’t believe in using long-term contracts with our clients, allowing them to stay in control of their businesses services. We also don’t use any call centres, if you ring our number you’ll be put through to one of our highly-trained experts – Giving you the support and guidance you need from the very start.
Read what our Retail Partners have to say about us 👇The Fragrance Shop has benefited from working with Wurkplace for a number of years now, they’ve been giving us amazing health & safety and online training services and advice!
Wurkplace trained all of our area managers in health and safety in London, tailoring the courses to us specifically - For example, they provided training on how to undertake risk assessments, COSHH assessments and how to implement health & safety to our stores and warehouses.
They have also helped with explosive atmospheres that can be caused when storing and transporting perfumes, giving us lots of useful advice and guidance. This has aided us in ensuring our staff and premises are safe at all times - We are very impressed with their personal and comprehensive services.
Additionally, Wurkplace has created bespoke risk assessments for our stores & kiosks around the country and worked closely with us regarding welfare situations in our stores. More recently, they’ve helped us during the COVID-19 pandemic - Getting us COVID-secure and bringing our staff back to work safely, allowing us to reopen after the national lockdown.
The team at Wurkplace are highly-qualified, experienced and always happy to go the extra mile to help, we would recommend them to anyone looking for HR, health & safety or training for their business.
Retail HR
Wurkplace offers outsourced HR support services to businesses in the retail industry, we pride ourselves on providing a personal service that’s right for you! All of our services are bespoke, this ensures our solutions work for your retail business, not just general advice and services.
The main HR issues in the retail sector include:
- Seasonal Demand – In retail, there are periods of the year where there’s a large increase in demand (like Christmas/new year and back to school). Many businesses in retail hire temporary, seasonal staff to help deal with rises in demand! The online HR system Wurkplace uses can help with the recruitment process, making it easy for retail businesses to fill these roles.
- Employee Turnover – Research has shown that retail sector staff turnover is high! Around half of all retail staff are hired on a part-time basis, with many staff being under 25. This may be because these members of staff usually do not stay in the job for very long, it can sometimes be seen as a temporary role for those in further education. It’s HRs responsibility to provide the incentive for staff to stay within their role. Our HR service aims to make employees feel valued and well looked after, which can reduce staff turnover.
- Staff Misconduct – Unfortunately, with lots of new and seasonal staff, the retail industry is especially vulnerable to staff misconduct issues. Internal theft is not uncommon in retail, businesses can often struggle to deal with this issue! Wurkplace offer support with all employment law issues, like disciplinary hearings, which can reduce staff misconduct.
Wurkplace has solutions for all these issues and much more! We provide outsourced HR services to businesses in the hospitality sector – whether that’s hotels, food and drink establishments or travel and tourism. No matter what the size of your business, we can help you with your HR issues for a competitive price.
What can Wurkplace’s HR Consultants help you with?- Retail HR Audits – Our team will initially perform a full audit of all your current retail HR policies & procedures and give their expert recommendations on how you may be able to improve. We will also review this once a year to ensure compliance.
- Tailored Staff Contracts & Handbooks – We will provide your retail workforce with bespoke contracts and handbooks which will include all your HR policies and the employee’s terms of employment. This can reduce the likelihood of unfair dismissal, etc.
- Online HR Software – Our consultants will help implement an online HR software system which automates traditional HR work, like payroll. This system can store important HR documents, track employee performance & attendance and track & compare potential new recruits!
- Retail Employment Law – There can be lots of potential employment law issues in the retail industry, our HR consultants are experienced in this area! We can support you with disciplinary issues, grievances, disputes, redundancies, sickness management and much more!
- Optional Legal Insurance – We can provide your retail business with protection from legal fees, up to the value of £100,000.
- Retail HR Training & Development – Our consultants can offer a large range of training courses to learn about HR policies & procedures and develop their skills in the retail setting.
- Monthly Retail HR Updates – Every month we will update you on any new or changing HR regulations that may affect the retail industry.
Do You Need Help With HR or Health and Safety in Your Retail Business?
Retail Health And Safety
Additionally, Wurkplace offers outsourced Health and Safety services to retail businesses, across the UK. Our team of highly-qualified experts tailor all of our services to your business and it’s unique needs, ensuring they’re always met – Keeping your staff, visitors and customers safe and sound!
The main Health and Safety issues in the retail sector include:
- Manual Handling – Staff in the retail sector often have to lift, lower, push, pull and carry loads (e.g. deliveries, etc) which can cause injury if done incorrectly; potentially causing back pain and musculoskeletal disorders! Where possible lifting equipment should be used to reduce the risk of injury to retail workers. Wurkplace offers bespoke manual handling training which can lower the probability of these injuries occurring.
- Violence in the Workplace – Working with the general public can make retail staff vulnerable to verbal and even physical abuse! Employers have a legal duty to protect their employee’s welfare, health and safety, many have a zero-tolerance policy, meaning customers who display this behaviour will be removed from the premises. Our Health & Safety consultants can help the retail industry by creating bespoke risk assessments and policies which can help employees deal with these situations.
- Slips, Trip and Falls – HSE has found slips and trips are the most common cause of injury in the retail sector. However, it’s not just staff who are at risk, visitors and customers can also be at risk! Tripping or slipping on/over recently cleaned floors or items (e.g. clothing, toys, etc) can cause serious long and short term injuries. Our slips, trips and falls training course and our detailed risk assessments can decrease the likelihood of this issue!
What can Wurkplace’s Health and Safety Consultants help you with?
- Retail Health & Safety Audits – Initially and annually we will audit all your existing Health & Safety policies & procedures, making any recommendations to improve compliance and staff/visitor safety!
- Visiting Retail Premises – Our consultants can visit your retail venue to get a better sense for the Health & Safety risks for your business. This will help us when conducting risk assessments and ensures that upon inspection you are fully compliant.
- Bespoke Risk Assessments – We will create customised risk assessments for your retail premises, ensuring all potential risks are identified and controlled! We can provide general, COSHH and fire risk assessments.
- Retail Occupational Health Support – Supporting retail staff through any occupation health issues they may have, with our qualified nurse to provide further guidance. We can help with occupational health referrals, physio, sickness management, medical screening/examinations and on-site support.
- Health & Safety Training in Retail – Our extensive library of Health & Safety training courses can be tailored to your retail site, this allows your staff to work safely and can improve wellbeing.
- ISO (International Organization for Standardization) – We can support you in gaining any relevant retail ISO certifications!
- Monthly Retail Health & Safety Updates – Every month we will update you on any changes to existing or new Health & Safety legislation that could affect retail sectors.
HR And Health & Safety Training In Retail
Wurkplace can provide bespoke training courses online or on-site, our HR and Health & Safety consultants can tailor our extensive library of courses to your retail business. We can help your staff develop the skills they need when working in a retail environment and keeping everyone in your premises safe from any potential risks.
All of our courses are CPD accredited and approved by RoSPA and IOSH and you can access a free demo for all training courses on our website! All modules allow for 3 attempts to gain a pass, after the third attempt, our consultants should be contacted for further assistance. Upon completion, your employees will receive a certificate which can be put in their records.
Our HR and Health & Safety courses for retail include, but not limited to:- Customer Service
- Equality, Diversity and Discrimination
- Slips, Trips and Falls
- Manual Handling
- Sales Skills
- Managing Sickness & Absence
- Social Media for Business
- The Principles of Performance
- Anti Harassment and Bullying
- Conflict Resolution
- Emergency First Aid At Work
Want To Arrange a Free Consultation?
For a FREE consultation with one of our qualified Retail experts, fill in our online contact form.