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"The socially conscious consumer makes mindful purchase decisions, deliberately buying ethical and environmentally friendly products. They vote for their values with their wallet. In fact, 45% said they are willing to pay more for sustainable products." - Matthew...

"You need to come to the consumer where they are if they are going to be at grocery retailers less often,"  - Jared Koerten, Euromonitor International.         One mantra rings true in today's fast-paced, ever-evolving retail landscape, sellers are...

"Employees spend an average of 40% of their workday engaged in non-productive, inefficient communication." (Source: Zipdo)   In a work setting, an unproductive conversation typically resembles talking in circles without a clear purpose or end goal. It's often...

"On average, humans can hold roughly 7 things in their working memory at any one time. This means we sometimes need simple strategies to maximize the limited capacity of our working memory." - George A. Miller, Harvard University.     Our brains are...

Dear Valued Customers, As the 2023 Thanksgiving season approaches, we want to take the time to express our gratitude to each and every one of you. Your support and trust in TimeWellScheduled have been essential to our success, and we are truly thankful for the...

“The brand is the aspiration the customer wants to buy—it’s the core truth of the brand. Your brand is a story you tell to the world with the hope it will resonate and consumers will want to associate themselves with it.” - Masooma Memon, Shopify Marketing. Retail...

"Internal mobility gives employees a greater incentive to remain engaged and productive. It also gives them chances to grow their skills (and develop new ones) while in the flow of work." - People Fluent. In the rapidly evolving business world, companies are turning...

"With everything in business, the benefits gained should exceed the cost incurred." ― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr. Making smart, data-driven decisions is the cornerstone of successful business management. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a powerful method that helps...

"Watch the product life cycle; but more important, watch the market life cycle" — Philip Kotler.   For retail businesses owners, awareness of the Retail Product Life Cycle (PLC) is key to understanding how products evolve from Introduction to obsolescence. The...

"Personalization is the key to cutting through the noise and making a meaningful connection with customers." - Angela Ahrendts, Former SVP of Retail at Apple     Imagine walking into a store, and everything, from product recommendations to interactions,...

We want to wish you and your family a happy and safe Halloween filled with plenty of treats and spooky fun. As you continue to use TimeWellScheduled for your workforce management needs, we're grateful for your trust and support.  Enjoy the day, whether dressing up in...

"Toxic workplaces are not only costly — they are also common. Our research on large U.S. employers found that approximately 1 in 10 workers experience their workplace culture as toxic, an estimate that is in line with other studies." - MIT Sloan Review.   Yes, it...

 "For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head." - Benjamin Franklin.   Continuous learning and development helps companies maintain a competitive advantage, particularly in retail and service businesses. Investing in employee training and...

"If your plans don't include mobile, your plans are not finished." - Wendy Clark, former SVP at Coca-Cola.   Geolocation marketing has transformed how businesses connect with customers. When retail marketers leverage the power of location data, companies can...

“An apparent conflict of interest is one which a reasonable person would think that the professional's judgment is likely to be compromised.”  - Michael McDonald.   Conflicts of interest (COI) can enter the workplace, undermining trust, fairness, and employee...

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny." ~Mahatma Gandhi. Integrity isn't just a personal virtue—it's a...

"Customers may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Horst Schulze, Co-founder of Ritz-Carlton.   In retail, "touchpoints" matter. These customer-brand interactions are pivotal moments that can either build a robust and...

Dear Canadian Customers, Thank you for choosing TimeWellScheduled. We want to express our deep appreciation for your partnership during this Thanksgiving season. Your unwavering support and trust in us have nurtured mutual growth and improvement. We hope your...

"Organizations able to skillfully manage the entire customer journey reap enormous benefits: enhanced customer satisfaction, reduced churn, increased revenue, and greater employee satisfaction." - McKinsey & Company. In the dynamic retail landscape, understanding...

"Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving his goals. Nothing on earth can help the person with the wrong mental attitude." — Thomas Jefferson. Your mindset shapes your thought processes, beliefs, and actions. It is crucial in...

"Discrimination is a disease, and tolerance is the only cure." - Sir Muhammad Iqbal.   Discrimination in the workplace—an age-old issue that continues to persist—can be both a subtle, silent enemy or a blatant, disruptive force. It's a complex problem that...

"Millions of dog owners are more likely to visit a business that allows their four-legged friend inside, which is why we've always welcomed dogs into all of our Metro Bank stores" - Jessica Myers, Marketing Director, Metro Bank.   Embracing a dog-friendly retail...

"In 2022, there were 73,485 workplace discrimination charges in the USA, resulting in more than $39 million in damages for victims in federal court. This does not include hundreds of millions in damages granted by state and district courts" (Source: EEOC)....

"The $45 billion US retail media market is surging as retailers capitalize on the consumer shift to e-commerce while offering advertisers access to their unique audiences and data insights." (Insider Intelligence) Retail media...

"Consumer studies have found that 68% of the entire customer base leaves due to perceived indifference, which means they believe that companies don't care about them – compared to only 14% leaving because of product or service dissatisfaction." - (Forbes)  Successful...

"If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now." - David Allen. Enhance your productivity and eliminate procrastination with the power of the Two-Minute Rule. This straightforward yet potent time management skill can revolutionize your daily routine by optimizing...

"Pop-up Shops make people feel like they're getting something special that's only around for a short time, so they have to go there" - Valentino Teoli.  Pop-up retail is an innovative and cost-effective strategy, enabling brands to reach and engage new customers. With...

"The fear of public speaking is the most common phobia ahead of death, spiders, or heights." (National Social Anxiety Center) Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) is an all-too-common phenomenon, with its roots stretching from simple nervousness to paralyzing fear. This...

"They (Shoppers) expect stores to be digitally enabled and for brands and retailers to support hybrid shopping journeys, which blend physical and digital channels" (IBM Consumer Research.) Interactive in-store displays are transforming the retail industry. By fusing...

"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything." - Warren Buffett.  When life gets demanding, it's important to remember that saying no isn't just an option; it's a necessity for...

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."— Theophrastus. Imagine harnessing the power of focused effort to accomplish more each day. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Not with time chunking. This simple yet powerful technique allows you to divide your...

“Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.” -Sarah Dessen.  Supporting grieving employees is not just a moral obligation but also has significant implications for the business. When an employee experiences a...

"when there is so much information that it is no longer possible to effectively use it." - David Lavenda. Information overload is a pervasive issue plaguing many companies of all sizes. As the volume of information surpasses our capacity to process it, employees...

"To be successful is to be helpful, caring, and constructive, to make everything and everyone you touch a little bit better." — Norman Vincent Peale. Personal Support Workers (PSWs) are the unsung heroes transforming healthcare delivery in  North America. As the...

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." – Peter F. Drucker. Our decision-making process drives personal and professional success. The methods and strategies we employ when making decisions vary broadly and fall into four...

"Pareto's Principle: you generally spend 80% of your time on 20% of the project." - Joseph M. Juran. Vilfredo de Pareto (15 July 1848 – 19 August 1923) was an Italian sociologist and economist who determined that, in general, 80% of a nation's income was in the hands...

"A study on stand-up meetings concluded that they were about 34 % shorter than sit-down meetings, yet produced the same solutions." - Allen Bluedorn, University of Missouri Stand-up meetings, an innovation borne of Agile methodologies, are quick, daily sessions...

 "As all entrepreneurs know, you live and die by your ability to prioritize. You must focus on the most important, mission-critical tasks each day and night, and then share, delegate, delay, or skip the rest." - Jessica Jackley. Learning the art of delegation can be a...

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell. Morning routines are often viewed as mundane daily rituals by those who do not practice them. However, these simple...

"The great victory, which appears so simple today, was the result of a series of small victories that went unnoticed." - Paulo Coelho. Celebrating small wins is a crucial aspect of personal and organizational growth. Small wins represent the incremental achievements...

“Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.” — Brian Tracy. Microlearning is a modern...

 "78% of workers believe that a clean workspace enhances their ability to focus on tasks." - (HarvardBusinessReview)  Do you find yourself constantly surrounded by paperwork, stacks of books and to-dos? Are you so busy with your daily tasks that the idea of a...

"One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination." – John C. Maxwell. Mentors are trusted advisors who are crucial in offering knowledge and guidance to future leaders....

"We gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face ... we must do that which we think we cannot." - Eleanor Roosevelt. Confident employees play a pivotal role in driving organizational success. Their ability...

Gatekeepers play a crucial role as intermediaries between salespeople and decision-makers. They probe, filter communication and determine who gets access to company leaders, and who does not,  optimizing their time and minimizing distractions. To excel, gatekeepers...

“Simple checklists reduced complication rates in surgery by 35%, death rates by 47% and saved the health industry hundreds of millions of dollars” - Ibis  When organizing, planning, and accomplishing daily tasks, checklists can be invaluable. Whether preparing for an...

“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.” - Sybil F. Stershic. Employee surveys play a crucial role in understanding and improving various aspects of the workforce, such as...

"We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." – Bill Gates. Constructive feedback is a critical part of any successful workplace. Knowing how to deliver constructive comments can help your staff or coworkers learn and grow in their roles while...

Employers are increasingly recognizing that it takes more than technical expertise to succeed in a job. Soft skills, such as effective communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management, play a crucial role in fostering positive relationships, navigating...

"51% of HR professionals surveyed ranked talent risk as the top risk to future growth" (HumanResourcesOnline) Talent risk significantly impacts productivity, employee satisfaction, and workforce stability. By proactively managing talent, businesses can mitigate these...

“Sourcing and finding people is the most important. You can’t recruit, message, or network with someone you haven’t found.” – Glen Cathey If you're looking to grow your team, it pays to invest time and energy into sourcing the best candidates. With an effective...

"Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine." - Peter Sondergaard. Workforce management involves understanding, anticipating, and influencing employee behavior in a way that supports organizational goals. By leveraging...

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker. Leaders inspire, motivate, and implement change, while managers plan and execute activities that help an organization attain objectives. Understanding this distinction is key to...

"Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people." – Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur. Managers often see...

"Clearly defined job roles will eliminate any kind of dilemma. It will help an employee better understand what they are supposed to achieve as a part of their job description." ― Pooja Agnihotri. Job analysis is the process of gathering, analyzing, and documenting...

“Hiring the wrong people is the fastest way to undermine a sustainable business.” - Kevin J. Donaldson, Entrepreneur, Author, and Business Coach Structured interviews are an effective way to assess candidates for job fit, overcoming the limitations and biases of...

Inspirational Leaders are remarkable individuals with unique qualities that inspire their team and foster a sense of trust, engagement, and commitment. From remaining calm in stressful situations to actively listening and demonstrating resilience, inspirational...

“Like on a sports team, people at work don't want to just be liked, they want to feel needed. If the team wins, they want to feel like they played an important role in the success.” - Gallup Building an organizational culture of belonging can help foster synergy among...

"Leaders affect the entire workplace. When leaders are late, it sends an irresponsible message to employees, which may lower morale; when leaders are punctual, it exhibits a work ethic to aspire to." - Johnson D. Elias. Employee attendance tracking ensures that...

"It is necessary to instill a disciplining program in your small business in order to move forward. An effective regimen will help improve workplace performance and provide a safe and honest environment conducive to production." - Lisa Mooney. Disciplining employees...

“The average worker is productive for only 2 hours and 53 minutes a day” - Hubstaff.com Accurate employee time tracking is critical to managing labor costs, ensuring adherence to staffing schedules, and maximizing productivity. However, employee time tracking can be...

"82% of business failures are caused by cash flow, so it's important to trim down the unnecessary business costs." - Eagle Business Credit. In today's competitive business landscape, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) must continuously seek ways to optimize...

“88% of people surveyed across 28 countries believe it is essential, very important or fairly important to have an international treaty to combat plastic pollution.” (Ipsos) Why should retailers reduce their use of single-use plastic? The answer lies in the...

"We look at the brand, not as a piece of advertising, but everything we do communicates who Starbucks is. The place, the physical environment, really has become an extension of the brand, and it's very important to the success of the company." – Howard Schultz....

"56 million American workers have paid a bill late because of a payroll error" - The Workforce Institute.  Human errors in payroll processing can have severe financial repercussions for a business. These errors  can result in substantial fines, lead to employee...

"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." – Pablo Picasso. Shift planning is an ongoing challenge for small, medium or large retail and...

“Time Well Scheduled has been an excellent tool for our scheduling and HR purposes. It’s easy to use, and the support team is always responsive. They have also been open to building the infrastructure we need for our reporting purposes.” - Jon W. - Manager, Home...

“…understanding the causes and effects (of lateness and absenteeism) should be a key priority of retailers.” – Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman  Effective attendance and absence policy is crucial for retail businesses to ensure mutual expectations are met, and productivity...

"(IMC) means mapping your strategy to the reality of the customer. Where does she go, and what does she do every day? Your marketing message must be aligned across all of those touchpoints... If the message doesn't align, you've lost her, and she likely isn't coming...

“Fairness is not an attitude. It's a professional skill that must be developed and exercised.” -  Brit Hume Creating a fair employee scheduling process is vital in organizations as it contributes to the perception of procedural justice, a crucial aspect of workplace...

"As a marketing manager, you're going to manage a portfolio of influencers, just like Nike manages a portfolio of celebrities." - Robert Palmatier, University of Washinton, Foster School of Business. Influencer marketing has become a critical part of digital retail...

"A schedule defends chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time." - Annie Dillard. Scheduling employees can be complex, time-consuming, and prone to human errors. However,...

"A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world.” - unknown In the retail industry, customer experience and satisfaction are paramount. Unfortunately, even the most active businesses will encounter unhappy customers. As a result, retail staff...

"Nearly one in five Americans has an unstable work schedule and about 40 percent of early career workers, defined as workers aged 26 - 32, have less than one-week advance notice of their schedules." - Bill de Blasio, Former Mayor of New York City. Predictive...

"I like to take chances on people and, whenever possible, promote from within – it sends a great message to everyone in the company when someone demonstrates a passion for the job and leadership skills at every step along the way and is rewarded with a leadership...

"Employee scheduling software will help you streamline your employee scheduling. You can ensure that every shift is covered and that there aren't any scheduling conflicts. It will also help you monitor your staff availability and time-off requests." - U.S. Chamber of...

Healthy competition among employees is an effective way to motivate your team to reach their full potential. Internal Competition in organizations, leads to improved individual and team performance while at the same time, fostering a culture of innovation. However,...

"...one employee being late or absent can negatively affect not only store operations, but also their coworkers by making them stay to make up for the lost labor." (Harvard Business School) Managing and controlling lateness and absenteeism is essential for any...

"The more money retailers lose on returns, the more they have to make up for that by raising prices," - Lauren Beitelspacher, Associate professor at Babson College. Retail businesses face unique challenges regarding refunds, returns, and other customer payments. To...

“Sales volume is not the only way to make money in this business… For every dollar we save in shrinkage we add a dollar to our bottom-line profit.” - Lionel M. Levey Retail Shrinkage is an unfortunate reality for many retail businesses. From employee theft and...

Dear Valued Clients, As we celebrate the Easter Weekend, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued support and trust in TimeWellScheduled. Your business means the world to us, and we are honored to have the opportunity to provide our...

"Records management is knowing what you have, where you have it, and how long you have to keep it" - Rich Lauwers, Director of Information Governance at Merrill Corporation. Managing employee records may seem dry on the surface; however, it is a crucial task for any...

"The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings." - Kakuzo Okakaura. As the retail industry continues to evolve, so do the legal and regulatory trends that govern it. Over the next several years, retail outlets and shoppers can expect to see an...

"Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." – Peter Drucker. At TimeWellScheduled we know that staff scheduling is an integral part of any successful business. It helps ensure that the right people are in the right positions at the right time to maximize...

"Some overtime work is essential to give enterprises the flexibility to deal with unusual pressure of work, fluctuations in demand, or other special circumstances." - International Labor Office. Scheduling overtime can be a difficult task for employers. It requires...

"A schedule defends chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time." - Annie Dillard. Posting the staff schedule 2-3 weeks in advance can be a great way to ensure a smooth...

"Every company has two organizational structures: The formal one is written on the charts; the other is the everyday relationship of the men and women in the organization." - Harold S. Geneen. Management by Wandering Around (MBWA) is a popular management technique in...

"In the absence of any other Marketing messages, our packaging – comprised of the trademark, our design, color, and information – is the sole communicator of our brand essence. Put another way – when you don't have anything else – our packaging is our Marketing." -...

"People are always going to go shopping. A lot of our effort is just 'how do we make the retail experience a great one?" - Phillip Green, Chairman, Arcadia Group.  Experiential retail is an effective way of engaging customers and building relationships with them. It...

"Why are you doing this? How are you making a difference? What is your reason for being besides making money? There is no engine or vehicle-like business to make a difference." – Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods. Retail businesses are an integral part of society and...

"If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." - Lord Kelvin, 19th Century Scientist. Employee scheduling is integral to running a successful retail and service business. It helps to ensure that the right staff are in the right place at the right time to meet...

"Where people are faced with so many choices that they can't decide among them and make no choice at all." -  Ulf Bockenholt As a retail manager, you know customers can become overwhelmed with too many options when browsing your store. This phenomenon is known as...

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort." - Paul J. Meyer. As a retail manager, you're probably familiar with employee scheduling basics: ensuring all shifts are staffed...

"Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill. Running a successful business depends on motivating employees to achieve excellence. However, if your staff's enthusiasm is waning and morale is low, keeping productivity high...

“There are seven negative factors that contribute to the failure of relationships; namely, cost, time constraints, satisfaction abuse, stress, resource constraints, conflicts, and unmet expectations.” – Mitta Xinindlu. As a business leader, it’s crucial to understand...

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. “- Dale Carnegie. A Customer’s experience (CX) spans all interactions between a business and its customers. Companies that provide memorable CX will enjoy...

“Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the web like deer on a freeway.” – Geoffrey Moore, management consultant As a busy small-to-medium-sized retailer, it is challenging to keep track of your overall business performance and...

“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.” – Henry Ford In today’s highly competitive business landscape, compensation and benefits play a critical role...

"People don't remember the pitch; they remember the experience." - Dharmesh Shah. In the retail sector, online sales and digital marketing have become more prevalent than ever; it can be easy for business owners to overlook the importance of taking inbound calls....