12th Dec: One Day. A million smiles. 12th Dec: One Day. A million smiles.
The day
when the entire Retail industry unites to appreciate the efforts of workforce
and spread smiles
Retail
Employees' Day was started with the noble intention of applauding the untiring
efforts of those working on shop floors at retail outlets. However, with each
passing year it grew in scope to encompass all employees in retail and not just
sales associates.
Slowly,
it also grew to embrace not just retail companies but also service provider to
retail. Together, all stakeholders worked towards not just recognizing the
efforts of retail employees within the industry but also towards creating
awareness and empathy for their jobs and lives and the
significant role they play in the lives of the customer.
This
initiative has been conceptualized by TRRAIN (Trust for Retailers & Retail
Associates of India). In India, it is celebrated in partnership with RAI
(Retailers Association of India).
Six years
on and ‘Retail
Employees’ Day (RED)’ has touched the lives of over 5 million employees and is celebrated in India, Turkey, UAE & parts of Singapore.
RED has
found widespread acceptance across retailers and brands of all sizes and across
geographies. Most companies have a separate budget crafted to carry out
activities on this day. Top management blocks their calendars every year for
RED and visits stores. It has become an occasion for employees from HOs and
stores of different brands to celebrate together. It has grown become the day
when the retail industry stands together as one, in celebrating the efforts of
its unsung heroes.
Last
year, Retail Employees’ Day 2016 saw as many as 300+ organizations
and 80-100 malls across India celebrating the day by organizing various
employee recognition and engagement activities such as cultural programmes,
free make-overs, team lunches, and outings with family. The celebrations
received support from brand ambassadors, celebrities from the Indian Film
Industry & the Prime Minister’s Office showing its support to India’s 2nd
largest industry- retail.
The feather in
the cap was the association with Paytm in India. The Business Excellence
Department in the department of Economic Development, UAE joined hands to
celebrate Retail Employees’ Day.
A film was also
released to encourage customers to realise the importance of retail associates.
The film had a combined social
media reach of about 5.4Million
user accounts.
In July 2016,
TRRAIN undertook an independent study in order to gain a deeper understanding
of the positive impact of Retail Employees' Day on different aspects of
employee performance.
The
study mapped different stakeholders involved in the retail ecosystem and collected
data from 25 top management personnel, 25 store managers and over 200 retail
employees. The results of the study have been truly encouraging, displaying a
favourable impact on employee engagement and morale.
The HR Heads of companies agreed that Retail
Employees’ Day positively affects employee morale, impacts team
work and serves as a great platform for employee engagement. Interviews
with CEO’s revealed the positive impact of Retail Employees’ Day
on business outcomes stemming from increased productivity, improved teamwork
and positive energy created by Retail Employees’ Day activities.
“TRRAIN is proud of being part of the Indian Retail Industry. I believe recognizing the efforts of our retail staff and appreciating
their hard work should become an integral part of all retailers. Dedicating a
day to thank them for their year long effort at an industry level and the same
being celebrated by millions of retailers can have a tremendous impact on the
retail industry. More and more youth will look forward to working in the retail
sector to learn and explore a career with many of them finally making retail
their choice of career.
My belief is that a small beginning like RED celebration can lead to
improving happiness in the retail industry. A happy retail industry will lead
to greater customer service and the nation will benefit as India is a nation of
shopkeepers and our GDP is growing due to consumption.” said BS Nagesh (BSN),
Founder, TRRAIN.
Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO,
Retailers Association of India (RAI), said, “Retail Employees serve the public through the year,
including on holidays. It was heart-warming to see so many stores, malls and
service providers across the country celebrate Retail Employees day with
merriment and events, making their employees feel special. Each one of them, in
their own way, has helped make Retail Employees’ Day bigger and better. This is a day when the
retail industry keeps aside competition and focuses on appreciating its
workforce and spreading smiles”.
This year, the
celebrations were bigger and better. Over 500 organisations had pledged to
celebrate Retail Employees’ Day pan India. Ministers from the government such as Shri
Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana; Shri Vijay Rupani, Chief
Minister of Gujarat; Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce &
Industry, Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Ayog; Shri Yogendra Garg, Additional
Director General, Directorate General of Goods & Services Tax; Shrimati
Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Textile & Information & Broadcasting
& many others have shown their support.
A single day can truly have a lingering
positive impact and be instrumental in instilling long lasting pride & joy
in the retail sector. With the support & encouragement from retailers,
TRRAIN believes that the day is on its way to becoming an iconic industry wide
celebration in India & across the world.
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