Earn better engagement scores & drive retention with an employee experience strategy built for retail.
If you are a Retail Leader, and you've tried:
Thank you for helping us raise the bar, we are excited to continue our partnerships in 2023. I know having you by their side really encourages the team to think differently and alleviates so much of their day to day stress as well as they have such a great support network around them with you and your team.
Director, Talent Planning & Development, Empire | Sobeys Inc.
The Problem
The Engagement Survey Cycle
Year after year, you spend months analyzing employee engagement surveys that tell the same story: store teams don't feel valued, communication is lacking, and they're skeptical anything will change.
So you invest in thoughtful solutions—recognition platforms, awareness campaigns, learning tools—only to see engagement scores remain flat or decline the following year.
After multiple cycles of this, even the most committed retail leaders question their approach. Budgets get scrutinized from above while store teams grow increasingly skeptical of each new initiative.
What Most Retailers Think is Happening
Many retail leaders conclude they simply haven't found the right tool or program yet. They believe better execution or increased visibility might finally break through. Some even wonder if today's workforce is just inherently less engaged.
The Real Issue: Corporate-Store Disconnect
The actual problem is much more fundamental: Corporate and stores operate in completely different worlds.
Corporate teams design solutions for their office reality—meetings, emails, and digital spaces where time is structured around projects and strategy.
Store teams live in a different reality—95% of their time is spent serving customers on the floor, not in front of screens.
For corporate, digital tools ARE the work. For stores, they're just brief pauses FROM the work.
This disconnect is deepened by two critical factors:
Incompatible Priorities:
While corporate prioritizes strategic initiatives and consistent brand experiences, store teams must balance immediate customer needs, unexpected challenges, and constant time pressure.
Different Success Metrics:
Corporate measures engagement through survey scores and program participation, while store teams experience it through practical support in their daily challenges and recognition of their frontline realities.
The result? Well-designed corporate initiatives consistently fail to reach the store floor in meaningful ways, creating a cycle of investment without impact.
The Solution:
Operational Engagement
The path forward isn't another initiative—it's a modern approach to store engagement.
The Outcome?
This is something I've been trying to describe/communicate for years, and was only able to be this succinct because Bekki has phenomenal questions and, more so than anyone I've ever talked to about these things, is really listening and able to excavate ideas I know I have but up until now haven't been able to explore.
12+ year Retail Leader, including Old Navy, Starbucks, Whole Foods, William Sonoma
Our Process
We identify connection opportunities by understanding the perspective of VPs, District Managers, and Store Managers within your unique organizational structure.
We develop a clear path to bring your existing organizational identity into daily store life with "EVProof™" (evidence your promises are real).
We integrate your company-specific engagement drivers into your current store operations through manager coaching, operational refinements, and strategic communications.
We gather direct feedback from Store Managers to validate and refine the approach, ensuring it works in their real-world conditions.
Thank you for your time, your patience and your positivism throughout the project. It is a real pleasure to work with you. Having accomplished this work together, I think that nothing is impossible for us.
Manager, Talent Development, Empire | Sobeys Inc.
What an Engagement Looks Like
We Begin With Understanding
We start by reviewing your existing initiatives, engagement survey data, and strategic priorities to build on the foundation you've already established. This ensures we're aligned with your vision and complementing your current efforts.
Strategic Guidance Through Regular Collaboration
You receive consistent support through optional bi- weekly consultation calls focused on practical implementation strategies and real-time adjustments based on store feedback. We make sure our recommendations work within your operational constraints.
An Actionable Framework, Not a Rigid Formula
Our process follows a clear roadmap with specific checkpoints, but adapts to your organizational structure and culture. We build on what's working while addressing the specific gaps between corporate initiatives and store reality.
Real Time Access + Asynchronous Communication
Email, Loom (video), or message us as needed for quick and efficient updates or clarifications. We'll also provide weekly updates so you know exactly what's going on without having to send emails or request calls.
Transparent Communication and Progress Tracking
You'll have access to a custom project management system that keeps all stakeholders informed about progress, timelines, and upcoming milestones. This transparency helps secure continued buy-in across all levels of the organization.
Knowledge Transfer and Team Capability Building
We work directly with your internal teams to ensure they can sustain progress long after our engagement ends. Our goal is to embed operational engagement principles into your organization's everyday practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let's Connect
Dear Retail Leader,
Your teams are asking for a better day-to-day experience, and your organization has already invested significantly in addressing this need. If you're interested in maximizing the return on those investments by connecting them directly to where work happens in your stores, we'd love to explore how our approach might complement your current strategy.
Book a no commitment call.
As the partner bringing our organization's employee experience brand work to life through pictures and words, there was no question who I would collaborate with when it came to establishing the mental wellbeing brand and narrative. My interactions with Bekki and her team were easy, energizing and excellence-focused. Thank you for your patience, creativity and diligence. Together, we created something special.
Manager, CoE Integrated Health Management, Mental Health Program
I see this collaboration as an extension of our team that knows our business, and is able to challenge certain things – always with respect and for the benefit of the team. We can sometimes be biased in some of our interventions and having an external person who questions us, allows us to see certain things differently; which is a good thing.
Manager, Talent Development, Empire | Sobeys Inc.
I worked with Bekki in creating some graphically designed documents for a major company initiative. I was extremely impressed by the quality of the work she provided, her professionalism, attention to detail and excellent service. She made recommendations that were valuable in realizing the vision of the document and always responded in detail and promptly. I would very much recommend her for other individuals who are looking for similar services.
Human Resources Director, Sobeys Inc.
I run a boutique fitness studio where my entire business model is situated around face to face interaction. With a deft hand, Bekki has helped me transition online (social media, youtube, and other avenues) and has allowed me to continue to support my customer base, despite the global need for social distancing. She has provided input when needed, suggestions when warranted, and has taken my vision and executed it perfectly. Bekki's ability to produce top of class digital content on a moment's notice is single handily saving my small business.
Owner, Breaker Strength
