Data: The 30 happiest places to work in UK retail

The trio all amassed a 93% happiness score in a survey of more than 100,000 UK employees conducted by WorkL, the digital tool designed to help businesses create better working environments.  

WorkL, which was founded by former Waitrose boss and John Lewis Partnership deputy chair Lord Mark Price, also ranked the likes of Sofology, Whole Foods, Beaverbrooks and Selfridges among the top 10 major retailers.

But none of those companies were able to break into the UK’s top 100 businesses overall, with Hackett only finishing in 215th place as retail lagged behind other industries.  

Workers taking part in the survey were asked 20 questions focused on six key metrics: pay, communication, empowerment, wellbeing, job satisfaction and pride in working for an organisation.

Respondents were drawn from all parts of the retail workforce, from the shopfloor and distribution centres to merchandisers, HR departments and other head-office functions.

Lord Price said Hackett, Browns and Moonpig all ranked highly because staff felt they were being fairly remunerated for their work, enjoyed strong relationships with their managers and had clear career progression mapped out for them by their employers.

While many in the top 30 were drawn from smaller private and family-owned businesses, the survey also tracked the performances of the UK’s biggest retailers, including Tesco, Amazon, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis – all of whom ranked outside the UK’s top 3,000 companies. 

^{Selected major retailers’ happiness scores} 

Retail was found to have the lowest happiness score of the UK’s major business sectors, with the average retailer scoring just 66%.

Technology is the happiest sector to work in, according to WorkL, with businesses in that field achieving a 77% average happiness score. 

Career progression

Price believes one of the key reasons why retail staff are currently unhappier than workers in other industries is down to the strangling effects the pandemic has had on career progression. 

At a time when ‘non-essential’ stores are closed across the UK and head-office staff are largely working from home, Price says this has particularly affected younger staff. 

“The younger age groups are finding it more difficult working from home. They are missing the sociability and are worrying about career development” 

Lord Mark Price, WorkL

“The younger age groups are finding it more difficult working from home. They are missing the sociability of the office or the shopfloor if stores are closed. They are worrying about career development, too,” he explains.

“It’s very hard if you’re on furlough, or if you’re working from home, to have real career development plans.”

One way retailers are looking to address this issue is through apprenticeships, which have become more important than ever.

High-end food retailer Fortnum & Mason, the 27th retailer on the WorkL list, has prioritised a strong apprenticeship scheme to encourage development. 

It has found ways to flexibly allow its apprentices to spend 20% of their time learning off the job during the two-year placement.  

Grocers like Morrisons and Sainsbury’s have also expanded their apprenticeship programmes in recent years, with more emphasis on bringing in a diverse workforce. 

Clear communication

Another key metric, according to WorkL’s research, is for employees to feel they are being kept in the loop about decisions being made by the organisation while also feeling that they have a voice. 

“The companies that are doing best are the ones scoring most highly on communication. We can see a real correlation between sharing information and listening to feedback,” Price says. 

“It’s crucial for staff to feel that they have a good relationship with their managers. Our research shows that if an employee feels they are well paid but don’t have a good relationship with their manager they will still look to leave.”

This is another area, however, on which the pandemic has placed a degree of strain. Communication has been made tougher by the lack of face-to-face contact, with conversations often trickier to have via video call.

Pets at Home, the 19th retailer on WorkL’s list, has looked to other forms of technology to help address this growing divide, particularly in its head office. 

The retailer has created its own ‘JAM’ digital portal for staff, which chief people and culture officer Louise Stonier says is “a collaborative place where we come together and post videos” to communicate with each other.

The chain’s 82% happiness score suggests such initiatives appear to have borne fruit in the drive to maintain staff morale.

An honest wage

The final area Price points to is around remuneration, although he stresses that pay is not the most important metric upon which staff happiness hinges. 

“It comes as no surprise that staff are happier when they feel they are being fairly paid or compensated for their efforts,” he says.

“If people feel fairly rewarded and their employers really care for their wellbeing, than they tend to feel that their employer is a good business to work for.”

The issue of fair pay has again been pushed into the limelight by the pandemic and the ‘essential worker’ tag bestowed upon grocery staff at the beginning of the lockdown in March. 

Last week, Morrisons became the first major retailer in the UK to increase hourly pay to a minimum of £10 an hour for all its shopfloor staff, regardless of whereabouts in the UK they work.  

“Although not many good things have come from the Covid crisis, the renewed respect and admiration that we have seen across the country for supermarket workers is one of them. But respect and admiration do not butter any bread”

David Potts, Morrisons

Writing exclusively for Retail Week, Morrisons chief executive David Potts said his staff had “earned their pay rise many times over” during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Although not many good things have come from the Covid crisis, the renewed respect and admiration that we have seen across the country for supermarket workers is one of them,” he said. “But respect and admiration do not butter any bread.”

Aldi has since announced an increase in base pay for staff to £9.55 nationally and £11.07 inside the M25, with all frontline staff to get a pay rise. 

While once considered something of an obscure metric, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of the old adage: ‘A happy worker is a productive worker.’ 

Price concludes: “If people are happier at work, they’re going to stay longer, they’re going to work harder, you’re going to be able to train them. As a consequence, your customers will get better service.”