
Hiring

In episode 376 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jenna Arca, director of workforce development at The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the United States. Arca discusses the launch of The Home Depot's Path to Pro job-seeker marketplace for skilled tradespeople and hiring trade professionals (0:47), the origin of the…
Since the onset of the pandemic, the future of the retail industry has been marked with uncertainty. Currently, retailers are trying to prepare for a looming threat of recession and inevitable changes to consumer spending in the face of continued high inflation. With so much unpredictability ahead, labor planning can be a particularly daunting task.…
Retailers should be preparing for peak season hiring as the holidays are just two months away. Since many retailers have struggled to fill open positions over the past year and a half, the thought of hiring enough seasonal help could be frightful, rather than delightful. Amid the Great Resignation, seasonal retail jobs dropped 7 percent from…
Every organization should be on an ever-evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey. In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Grainger, a leading business-to-business (B-to-B) broad line distributor. Carroll discusses Grainger's portfolio of environmentally preferable products (EPP), why the business focuses on environmental sustainability, and…
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of disruption for retailers across the country. Many in the industry faced supply chain issues that resulted in drastically low inventory levels or even empty shelves. Some states imposed lockdowns that crimped business and led to innovations such as improved online shopping and curbside or in-store pickup of goods.…
Generation Z, or those born from 1997-2012, will be America’s largest generation by 2034, topping out at about 80 million. The oldest adult Gen Zers are already establishing potentially long-lasting earning and spending patterns, while the younger members of this demographic are still learning their first lessons about spending, saving and employer relations. To understand…
This summer Walmart is piloting a new College2Career program, which will give young professionals the chance to fast-track their careers by helping to run a multi-million-dollar business: one of its Walmart stores. According to a blog post on Walmart.com, the program is for recent college graduates and current college students within 12 months of graduating,…
During Shoptalk 2022 in Las Vegas last month, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviewed Katia Walsh, senior vice president, chief global strategy and artificial intelligence officer at Levi Strauss & Co. In this video, Walsh discusses her innovative role at Levi's, the challenges in attracting and retaining top digital talent, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected hiring. She…
Walmart announced Tuesday it's making a significant commitment to expanding its global technology operation. The Walmart Global Tech (WGT) division is adding hubs in Toronto and Atlanta, and also plans to hire more than 5,000 technology associates globally during fiscal 2022. According to the company, Atlanta and Toronto have been chosen as its newest tech…
It comes as no surprise that retailers are scrambling to find workers in today’s tight labor market. As “The Great Resignation” rages on, 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in December, according to the latest Jobs Report. While it’s easy to lament all the ways the pandemic has upended the workforce, it’s also unlocked an…