The most successful retailers treat labor optimization as a science that is based on:
- Understanding and quantifying work
- Eliminating waste or work that does not add value
- Establishing accurate labor budgets that are store, department and time specific
- Scheduling teammates to perform the right tasks at the right time
- And having metrics in place to ensure that improving efficiency does not come at the expense of customer satisfaction, safety and employee morale
This article also appears on LinkedIn – click here to read it and follow Rick Schlenker.
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