Omnichannel

Hourly retail store associates value flexibility

Adobe Stock.

October 2, 2023

Flexibility matters most to retail hourly workforce with 96% naming it as the top motivator to take a new job.

That's a top finding from Legion Technologies annual "State of the Hourly Workforce" report that polled more than 1,500 hourly workers and 600 managers on the top challenges influencing the employment experience.

The report revealed schedule flexibility is a "critical issue" for both associates and managers, according to a press release on the survey.

"Hourly employees form the backbone of the American workforce, and when our data shows that nearly two-thirds of them plan to quit their jobs in the next year, it's clear that employers cannot afford to neglect their employees' needs around flexibility and pay," Sanish Mondkar, CEO and founder of Legion Technologies, said in the release. "The pandemic forced countless businesses to evolve their processes, but this era of change is far from over, and the power shift in favor of employees is here to stay. As the labor shortage continues, companies will need to evaluate how outdated labor processes and technology may be holding them back from giving their employees the experience they deserve. If they have not already, now is the time to embrace intelligent automation and optimize their labor strategy to enable that flexibility workers demand."

Legion's research found employees demand flexibility in their schedules above all other benefits, including increased wages. In fact, 48% of managers stated that "not providing the schedule flexibility employees want" was the most challenging part of retaining hourly employees in the past six months, as opposed to 44% who said not offering competitive pay.

The survey also identified pay flexibility — not just schedule flexibility — as a key motivator for hourly employees: 43% of hourly workers stated they would consider a new job if it meant they had early wage access and 62% of hourly employees also stated they prefer to be paid every week. In fact, the demand for the ability to get paid early has grown 20x over the past three years, a sign that instant pay is becoming a must-have benefit.

When asked what type of scheduling flexibility was most important, employees rated the following factors the highest: