With shifts in the retail workforce and employee expectations evolving at pace, we joined Legion Technologies’ Frontline Forward webinar to find out what’s top of mind for the sector’s frontline workers.

Legion’s Director of Customer Success, Sara Schrage, was joined by former GVP at Americold Logistics, Narinder Dhaliwal, and Natalie Fresen, CMO at Visibly Rocks and former Chief Happiness Officer at The Retail Bulletin, to discuss key findings from its latest State of the Hourly Workforce report.

From key employee demands for greater flexibility and freeing managers to foster team performance, to people becoming retailers’ greatest competitive advantage and the technologies powering employee experience (EX), they discussed some of the key trends shaping retail’s frontline.

Flexibility remains top employee demand after pay

Original research of over 1,000 UK retail and hospitality workers in the 2025 State of the UK Hourly Worker revealed that, after pay, flexibility was the number one driver of improved EX for retail staff in 2025, rising +20 percentage points year-on-year to 61%.

“We know employee expectations in this day and age are extremely high, but they’re rising even more quickly,” said Schrage. “Things like flexibility, pay access and communication are no longer perks, these are must-haves; they’re table stakes.” 

According to Fresen, “retailers have always competed on price and on product, but today the differentiator has got to be people.” She pointed out that one of the sector’s biggest challenges is staffing shortages, which makes flexibility an “absolute retention imperative” to ensure the industry attracts – and crucially retains – talent.

And, for Fresen, that doesn’t just mean offering flexibility on shifts. “It’s far more sophisticated, it’s about predictable schedules, being able to self-manage shifts [to] fit around school, personal commitments or studies.”

Without flexibility “morale’s definitely going to go sideways,” Dhaliwal agreed. She warned that a lack of flexibility risks not just negatively impacting EX and retention, but also wider performance and, ultimately, sales.

Beyond the bottom line

Despite economic challenges putting greater pressure on margins and efficiency, retailers can’t afford to focus on profitability at the expense of employer engagement, the panel agreed.

Engaged staff not only drive enhanced customer experiences and performance, but also long-term competitive advantage and shopper loyalty.

“There’s a real sharp focus on profitability right now. We’re in a tough economic challenge, but the nature of retail is that it’s people. If leadership only focuses on the bottom line, they really are missing the biggest lever; engaged employees.”

Natalie Fresen, CMO, Visibly Rocks

The human touch delivered by store staff now plays an increasingly important role in shaping compelling customer experiences, according to Retail Technology Show research. Its poll of over 1,000 UK consumers revealed that over half (53%) felt store staff ‘make or break’ shopping experiences, up +13 percentage points year-on-year. 

“Engaged employees serve customers better, they stay longer and they perform more consistently,” Fresen added. “Consumers have got endless options at their fingertips. The real differentiator isn’t just what you sell – it’s how you deliver the experience.”

“When a customer walks into a store, that is your golden opportunity – and the most precious thing at that point is your people,” she explained. “If they’re empowered with good technology and a strong culture, you can turn that moment into an unforgettable experience that lasts – and that’s a competitive edge in retail.”

Freeing retail managers from admin to develop their teams

Research in the State of the Hourly Worker report also found that retail managers were drowning in manual tasks and burdensome admin, with 59% of managers spending between 3-10 hours a week on scheduling.

This also means many are struggling to find sufficient time to coach and develop their teams, leaving sorely-needed labour productivity gains on the table. Over half (52%) of retail managers feel they lack time for coaching and team development, while nearly a third (27%) don’t feel they have been set up for success in their role.

For Dhaliwal, “it’s time for innovation and technology” which involves putting tech, including AI, into the hands of retail associates to lift performance. She explained that supervisors are the “middle layer that is so powerful in driving performance,” making engagement, technology and training key to delivering success.

However, having smart AI-powered tools to help supervisors drive shopfloor performance isn’t enough on its own, Dhaliwal noted; “it’s got to be user-friendly, trainable and relatable so they’re not intimidated by it,” she said, all while making their lives easier.

“Technology is important, it just has to be made simple, so they can embrace it,” she added.