Retail associates work with heart and the Indian Retail Industry has dedicated December 12 every year to giving something back to them – a smile, a simple thank you. On this day, employers celebrate the sacrifices, and the untiring efforts of their retail employees….
Every year, December 12, is celebrated as Retail Employees’ Day (RED). It is celebrated in honour of the retail employees who work for hours to generate and deliver products to customers’ – all with a smile, all with the aim of forwarding a business that doesn’t belong to them.
These retail associates work with heart and the Indian Retail Industry has dedicated December 12 every year to giving something back to them – a smile, a simple thank you. This is the day that employers can celebrate the sacrifices, and the untiring efforts of retail employees.
The initiative, conceptualized by B S Nagesh, Founder, TRRAIN (Trust for Retailers & Retail Associates of India) and supported by RAI (Retailers Association of India) in India, is into its sixth year of celebration.
India’s Expanding Retail Sector
The Indian Retail Industry is growing at a phenomenal pace and has recently surpassed China to become the numero uno market for retail expansion. The industry employs over 50 million people, making it the second largest employment sector in the country.
One day to celebrate these 50 million people is a simple, yet powerful, attempt to encourage employers as well as customers to recognize the efforts of retail associates across the country. RED aims at creating awareness and empathy for the jobs of retail associates and the significant role they play in the lives of the customer.
The Importance of RED
The retail industry is a tough battleground, where only people with experience and innovative ideas survive. In order to hit accelerated growth and reach a status, at the right time and with the perfect impact, effective engagement of retail employees is a significant requirement for any company. As the industry evolves, employee engagement, talent management, and training are key challenges that need to be taken care of.
It’s a known truth that happier employees create a better store ambiance, which would indeed result in generating a far more effective customer interaction and sales. Making employees feel valued and motivated to build genuine relationships with them can help create loyalty, boost performance and nurture positive attitude as well.
RED can be considered as a nascent step in strengthening this relationship.
Since its inception in 2011, more than 300 retailers and 70 shopping centers across India have come together to thank their employees on this day. With over 2 million people celebrating it, this initiative by TRRAIN has seen tremendous success.
In 2013, Retail Employees’ Day even inspired Turkey’s Boyner Group to celebrate its 12,000- strong work force, leading the way for the entire country to take up celebrations in 2014. About 2 million people from the Turkey retail industry celebrated Retail Employees Day, making this simple idea a truly global phenomenon.
The RED Impact
All stakeholders in TRRAIN overwhelmingly acknowledge that RED plays a major impact on the employee engagement and employee morale. Employees feel recognized and valued for their efforts through the public appreciation and received from within and the organization.
Employees value the opportunities provided by RED as a chance to interact with their team, store managers, executives, top management of the company and sometimes even with the CEOs, Co- Founders and the owners of the company, along with the other retail brand employees in the surrounding. This helps in increasing the bonding and camaraderie within the in-house employees.
Impact on the Retail Industry: RED is unique in the fact that it has provided an avenue for interactions between the retailers and their supplier product companies and between people working for different brands. As the entire industry has come together to celebrate RED since 2013, it also brings a sense of pride and belonging among themselves.
Impact on Business: It is said that ‘Unity is strength, and when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved’. RED has helped enhance employee ability and motivation to contribute to the business outcomes and productivity. One can see a definite increase in company productivity when employees feel valued. This also helps in generating improved teamwork and relationship building among the store employees and with their executives leading to a better working environment at the store.
At a larger level, RED has become an opportunity to bring together key stakeholders of the retail industry at a common platform which is a great achievement on its own.
Government Recognition
The buzz around Retail Employees’ Day reached new and improved heights in 2015 when the initiative got recognition received from Narendra Modi, the Honorable Prime Minister of India along with the ministries of central and state governments throughout the country.
A letter from the Prime Minister’s Office congratulating TRRAIN on this joyous occasion was a proud moment. The event also received support from the brand ambassadors across multiple brands.
Top celebrities from Bollywood, South Indian film Industry & the Indian cricket team took to social media to thank all the retail associates on this auspicious day.
A single day can truly have a lingering positive impact and be instrumental in instilling long lasting pride and joy in the retail sector. It brings the employees, executives, business owners and mall owners together to engage with each other, as one retail fraternity.
BOX ITEM
- About TRRAIN: (Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India)
TRRAIN is a public charitable trust formed by B.S. Nagesh, with the vision of
empowering people in retail. The trust works towards achieving immediate and lasting
change in the lives of both retailers and retail associates across India. - About RAI: (Retailers Association of India)
RAI is the unified voice of Indian retailers. RAI works with all the stakeholders for
creating the right environment for the growth of the modern retail industry in India.
