Retail Gets Real: Rethinking corporate culture during the pandemic

How retailers are focusing on employee wellness in a remote work world

COVID-19 was a great equalizer for a portion of the white-collar workforce over the past year as retailers transitioned parts of their teams to remote work, navigating employee challenges of virtual communication fatigue, stress and more.

NRF’s Jill Dvorak, vice president of content and retail strategy, and Susan Reda, vice president of education strategy, join the Retail Gets Real podcast to discuss the work and wellness trends they’re seeing from the retail teams they work with.

With many employees sharing similar work-from-home challenges involving their families and blending work life, retailers stepped in to keep their workforces engaged while prioritizing employee mental health.

“Wellness and mental wellness became one of the top conversations for giant companies and for much smaller companies,” Dvorak said.

Some retailers like Best Buy developed wellness zones, others encouraged less screen time by mandating not having meetings on certain days, not requiring employees to turn on their computer cameras and organizing fun themes for virtual meetings. Retailers also reconsidered ways to cultivate talent and secure mentorship virtually. Companies provided their teams with gift packages, while retailers like Lowe’s consistently supported their workforce by offering pandemic-related bonuses.

Tune into the episode to hear more ways retailers are rethinking culture and supporting their teams while maintaining employee morale.