Images Retail Magazine - September 2020

In this issue

The last five months have been very tough for the Indian Retail Industry both on the business and the manpower front, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the organised sector can give a count of the number of employees who have lost their jobs or who have been furloughed, and the number of brands which have shut shop, there is no such census for the unorganised side of the sector on which the impact has been drastic, with lakhs of workers left without a job and an equal number of more small stores shutting down. To counter the devastating impact of the pandemic, several brands in the organised sector are re-strategising their business plans. Whilelay-offs are inevitable and hiring has been frozen in the present crisis, many brands are trying to keep all staff on board with pay cuts, furloughs and leave without pay. In these testing times, it has been a mammoth task for the HR departments of brands and retailers to keep their employees motivated so as to bring business back on track. Despite the dismal turn of events, HR departments of various brands are launching a slew ofinitiatives to engage their employees gainfully, while keeping their health and safety in mind.