Recognizing Employees For Consistent Performance Such As Clothing Security Tag Placement Does Improve Productivity And Shrink

Clothing Security Tags – 3                                                                                                         WC blog 346
Security Tags on Clothes-5
Recognizing Employees For Consistent Performance Such As Clothing Security Tag Placement Does Improve Productivity And Shrink 
     My daughter is getting her feet wet as a department manager in training for a clothing retailer and has been coming home telling me stories of the challenges she is facing. Employee call-outs and no one willing to come in to work those shifts, freight not getting completely processed and pushed out in a timely manner are points of frustration for her. She has also told me about clothing security tags not being placed on merchandise properly according to their company standards. These are all those challenges many of us can relate to. Of course as her father I give her advice, but I also know she is going to have to learn to be creative and find her own solutions to these problems.  One attempt she has made on her own is to try to provide incentives for her team and while I admire what she seeks to accomplish I have kept my thoughts to myself. Sometimes people learn best when they learn from the results of their own actions. Recognition is a great motivator and can impact shortage but it has to be done properly.
     As I said, one of the issues that her store has struggled with is the placement of security tags on clothes or the lack of any clothing security tags on merchandise that is on the salesfloor. Security tags are an anti-theft strategy used by stores to prevent theft both by shoplifters and employees. They have electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology built in that works with EAS towers. The towers pick up radio frequency signals specific to the tags and when merchandise with clothing security tags on them are carried close enough the towers sound a loud alert signal. Most towers have flashing lights as well so there is no problem with attracting the attention of store employees to a potential theft. Trained staff members respond to these alarms and through receipt checks and customer-friendly interactions recover merchandise that was not paid for. When stores are inconsistent in the placement of tags or security tags on clothes aren’t put on at all, issues arise. Inconsistency leads to cashiers failing to detach tags and not putting them on at all leads to theft. It is easy to see why this would be a big problem for my daughter to address. 
     Being new, my manager in training thought it would be a good idea to bring food in for her freight team to “motivate” them to work faster and complete all their tasks. Well, the team took a break and they did eat the food but no, the work did not all get done. Security tags on clothes were still missing and freight still didn’t all get worked to the floor. She was somewhat surprised that her gifts did not bear the fruit she was expecting. We discussed her dilemma, she wanted to motivate people but I let her know the reward should come AFTER the results were evident. The idea was good it was the execution where the error occurred. 
     I am a firm believer in reward and recognition programs, especially when it comes to stock shortage, but I think it applicable in almost any situation. When your team goes above and beyond expectations, there is nothing wrong with rewarding that behavior. It lets people know you care about what they have done. Recognition can be a thank you card or a mention in public setting like a pre-opening huddle. Something tangible like a card is best because it is something the employee can hold onto. When I was a Loss Prevention Manager, if an employee prevented a theft I made a point of giving them a recognition card. Our company also had a theft hotline that a few of our employees used to give tips on suspected employee theft that resulted in financial reward when I closed the cases. The key is not to give undue recognition for doing what is supposed to be done. If a fitting room attendant separated clothes and found hidden merchandise, I gave verbal recognition. If that same employee suspected patrons were tampering with security tags on clothes by examining the clothes closely and reported it to security I gave a recognition thank-you card. 
     Recognize your employees for outstanding performance. Find what motivates them, food, gift cards, thank-you cards, etc. but reward them for going above and beyond expectations. That said you owe it to your staff to thank them daily for working for you and being part of the team. A team that feels valued will be take pride in even the small things like ensuring security tags on clothes are properly placed.
Get more information on clothing security tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

My daughter is getting her feet wet as a department manager in training for a clothing retailer and has been coming home telling me stories of the challenges she is facing. Employee call-outs and no one willing to come in to work those shifts, freight not getting completely processed and pushed out in a timely manner are points of frustration for her. She has also told me about clothing security tags not being placed on merchandise properly according to their company standards. These are all those challenges many of us can relate to. Of course as her father I give her advice, but I also know she is going to have to learn to be creative and find her own solutions to these problems.  One attempt she has made on her own is to try to provide incentives for her team and while I admire what she seeks to accomplish I have kept my thoughts to myself. Sometimes people learn best when they learn from the results of their own actions. Recognition is a great motivator and can impact shortage but it has to be done properly.
     

As I said, one of the issues that her store has struggled with is the placement of security tags on clothes or the lack of any clothing security tags on merchandise that is on the salesfloor. Security tags are an anti-theft strategy used by stores to prevent theft both by shoplifters and employees. They have electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology built in that works with EAS towers. The towers pick up radio frequency signals specific to the tags and when merchandise with clothing security tags on them are carried close enough the towers sound a loud alert signal. Most towers have flashing lights as well so there is no problem with attracting the attention of store employees to a potential theft. Trained staff members respond to these alarms and through receipt checks and customer-friendly interactions recover merchandise that was not paid for. When stores are inconsistent in the placement of tags or security tags on clothes aren’t put on at all, issues arise. Inconsistency leads to cashiers failing to detach tags and not putting them on at all leads to theft. It is easy to see why this would be a big problem for my daughter to address. 
     

Being new, my manager in training thought it would be a good idea to bring food in for her freight team to “motivate” them to work faster and complete all their tasks. Well, the team took a break and they did eat the food but no, the work did not all get done. Security tags on clothes were still missing and freight still didn’t all get worked to the floor. She was somewhat surprised that her gifts did not bear the fruit she was expecting. We discussed her dilemma, she wanted to motivate people but I let her know the reward should come AFTER the results were evident. The idea was good, it was the execution where the error occurred. 
     

I am a firm believer in reward and recognition programs, especially when it comes to stock shortage, but I think it applicable in almost any situation. When your team goes above and beyond expectations, there is nothing wrong with rewarding that behavior. It lets people know you care about what they have done. Recognition can be a thank you card or a mention in public setting like a pre-opening huddle. Something tangible like a card is best because it is something the employee can hold onto. When I was a Loss Prevention Manager, if an employee prevented a theft I made a point of giving them a recognition card. Our company also had a theft hotline that a few of our employees used to give tips on suspected employee theft that resulted in financial reward when I closed the cases. The key is not to give undue recognition for doing what is supposed to be done. If a fitting room attendant separated clothes and found hidden merchandise, I gave verbal recognition. If that same employee suspected patrons were tampering with security tags on clothes by examining the clothes closely and reported it to security I gave a recognition thank-you card. 
     

Recognize your employees for outstanding performance. Find what motivates them, food, gift cards, thank-you cards, etc. but reward them for going above and beyond expectations. That said you owe it to your staff to thank them daily for working for you and being part of the team. A team that feels valued will be take pride in even the small things like ensuring security tags on clothes are properly placed.

 

Get more information on clothing security tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.