'We really want to expand the reach and the functionality that was available to our teams'
Looking to build a more connected workplace, Roots is deploying a mobile platform meant to boost employee communications and training.
Roughly 2,200 workers in Canada and the United States are now using an app from the digital platform YOOBIC, which provides gamified, bite-sized training along with communication tools.
Roots has a very diverse team that includes a leather factory, a distribution center, retail teams and head office, says Michelle Lettner, senior vice president of HR at Roots in Toronto.
“Finding some technology that could connect all of these groups, and share consistent messaging across our organization, was one of the primary objectives for looking at bringing in the new technology.”
Time for a change in tech
Previously, Roots had used an engagement app that was primarily for retail locations.
“We knew it was successful, we had gotten some good traction with it, however, we really want to expand the reach and the functionality that was available to our teams,” she says.
With the pandemic forcing new ways of working, the company wanted to build engagement and connectivity, says Lettner.
“We decided that we needed to invest in looking at broadening the app and the technology that we had, and YOOBIC provided us a way to continue to build our culture through constant communication, which was something that was really critical at this time.”
Front-line workers make up a huge percentage of the workforce yet many employers don't invest a lot of technology on them, says Eric Rosenthal, senior vice president of sales at YOOBIC in New York.
“When they do spend technology on them, the better their work environment, better their ability to do their job, it's greatly appreciated. And that increases retention, which is very important in today's global economy.”
In looking at the biggest challenges for managers of a “deskless” workforce, turnover (25 per cent) tops the list, ahead of revenue (17 per cent), productivity (15 per cent) and workplace safety (15 per cent), according to a survey by digital communications company Nudge.
Getting the message out
Roots was looking for technology that has both desktop and mobile functionality to better reach all staff. The company also wanted the ability to both create and host training, says Lettner.
“Primarily we were looking for an engagement app, but also one with training functionality and robust reporting. It was our hope to have a highly customizable solution that would feel on brand to help drive an authentic cultural experience.”
"Also important was the concept of task management and connectivity for our field staff. We use the app to conduct audits around store visits, health and safety and visual merchandising. This ability allows us to build consistency in our store experience."
The YOOBIC app includes a newsfeed function that is very much like a social feed such as Instagram, says Lettner.
“That is a great way for us to bring information to our teams, and there’s a lot of engagement within those posts. So people can share comments, they can ask questions, they can post pictures.”
Along with a section on diversity, equity, equality and inclusion, the app provides a document section as a quick reference for key information, such as policies and procedures or store events.
As a learning tool, Roots rolls out product knowledge information and training. The app includes quizzing and testing to ensure people retain the information, she says.
“There's a leaderboard so you can always track where you're stacking up against your peers, your division your stores, in terms of learning, so it does add some gamification to it. And there is nice interactive quizzing and polling and testing that we can do just to measure the retention and knowledge.”
The bite-size approach is excellent for store staff who are not sitting at a computer during the day, but need information to serve customers well. For example, monthly “PK” or product knowledge training highlights key features and benefits of certain products, says Lettner.
“In many of these areas, we were not doing this type of training at all. We did hold product knowledge sessions but they were on a quarterly cadence, when we could gather our teams together or delivered through written documentation that would be sent to stores. Yoobic has given us the ability to have always-on training that is highly relevant, current and accessible to all.”
“I would say the app has driven a lot of new behaviours in terms of development, training and information that we can share.”
Amid the “great resignation,” good training matters — but employers don’t always get it right, finds a recent survey.
Bite-size training boosts retention
It’s about getting information out to front-line workers “in a faster, more efficient and productive manner, and to help the employees feel more engaged,” says Rosenthal.
“It's a challenge to find ways to get information from corporate to the frontline employees... And challenge two is how do you get them to retain the information, which is why YOOBIC is a big proponent of this bite-sized training and doing it often versus doing one large training, and then not talking to your employees for weeks, months, quarters at a time.”
Roots was looking for an easier method to communicate, where information could be shared in bite sizes on a bi-weekly or weekly basis, says Rosenthal. Typically, training through the app can be taken on company time, but employers can decide how and when. For example, if they know it’s slow in a store between 10 and 10:30, people can take five minutes for some training.
Employers can then track grades and compliance, and participate in a contest where employees compete with each other for the highest scores on a quiz.
“What makes it so effective, and what our clients like about it, is there's this very social media-type of impact it has where you can compare yourself to others. You can see what others are doing. And I think it speaks very much to the to the demographic that works at a Roots or at a fashion retailer,” he says.
“I think the employees appreciate the fact that they now feel more connected to their other employees, the platform, they can talk and engage with their colleagues.”
In December, Canadian HR Reporter unveiled the 5-Star Learning & Development winners for 2021.
Moving forward
Having launched about six months ago, the key metrics are largely adoption and engagement at this point, says Lettner, so making sure people are on the system and connecting with the information.
“But as our teams continue to get educated and comfortable, we'll start measuring levels of knowledge and completion through the training courses, and some of the missions that we're putting… It will really be to start to get tactical in our stores at a store level, at a regional level, in terms of level of knowledge,” she says.
“I really want to push to make sure that there is completion and retention of information, because I think what it can do from a servicing and selling perspective is going to be huge for our stores.”
