Be the manager
In the 1980s, Walmart had killed (or was killing) the mom-and-pop store. "Elyy local' signs were soen, urging consumen to boy from their local retailers rather than fram the low-cost behemoth. Markets have contimued to shifl and the buy local signs are still around, but now the bastleground has shiffed with the disruptive growth of ecommerce. Even mighty Walmant is feching soenc growing pains Census Bureas dasa for 2017 shows that e-commerce, or online shopping, accounted for 8.9 percent of all retail sales in the United States, accounting for $111.5 billoo (U.S. Census Burcas 2017). Fecling the pinch, many malls actos the country are closing their doors, and their empty retail spaces are being reparposed. Credit Suisse predicts that due to competibion from online shopping 20 to 25 pereent of American malls will close within the next five years (Dying Malls Make Room for New Condos Apartment 2017). Furthermore, accarding to a 2017 study, 23 percent of Americans alrcady purchase their groceries online (Embrace the Internet, Skip the Checkout 2017 ) Whether face-to-face with customers or filling orders in a warchoase, motivated employees are estential to buriness sactess. And compuny culture belps drive that motivation. As a 2015 Hanund Bluminesr Review article put it, Why we work detemines how well we work" (MeCirepor \& Doshi 2015). Adapting earlier researth for the modern workplace, the study found sit reasons that people work play, purpose, potential, emotional pressure, econoemic pecssure, ind incrtia. The firat threc ate positive motives while that later three are negative. The tesearchers found that role desien, moec than any other factor, had the highest impact on enployee motivation. Anecdotally, using role design to motivate cmployees can be seen across induatrics. Toyota allews factory woriers to innovale new processes on the fectory flooe, Southwest Airfines encourages a sense of "play" among crewmembert who interact directly with passengers (which has resulted in some hamotoes viral videos). A sense of the ofganizatien's identity (and a desire to be part of it) and bow the career ladder within the company is perceived are second and third in their impoct on eryployee motivation, Unbealthy conpetition for advancement can do more harm than good to enployee motivation, and as a result many large companies are restructuring their performance review and advancement systems (MeGrepor \& Doshi 2015) Conversely. costs from unmotivased employees cas be high. In Augat 2017, fetailer JCPentey had an employec arested who had allegedly cost the company more than $10,000 in stolen cash and ander-rung merchasdise at a mall store. Another eaiployee had stolen more than $1,000 of clothes from the store less than a month eartier. Brick-and-mortar retail outiets from Macy's to Walmurt have coene under pressure by increased oeline shoppinge, particularly at Amazon com. Walmart has responded by both trying to inprove the shopping experience in its atores and creating an online pesenese of its own. A recent study funded by Walnast found that 60 percent of retails workers lack peoficiency its reading and 70 percent have difficulty with inath (Class is in session at Walmart Acadeeny 2017). Increaseng math and team atalls for the employees would increase efficiency and certainly help improve enployee self-image and motivabion. With this in mind, Walmart has created one of the largest enployer training programs in the country, Walmart Academy (McGitzor A Doshi 2015). The company expects to graduate more than 225,000 of its supervisoss and managers froen a program that covers topics suct as merehandising and criployee motivation. In anoeher program, Pathways, Walmarr has crealed a course that covers topies such as merchasdising, comnumicaticm, and retail math (Walmart 2016 Global Respoes3ility Feport 2016). The Pathways program was expetted to see 500,000 entry-level woekers take part in 2016 (Walmant 2016 ). All employers who complete the course receive a dollar an hour pay increxe. Educatiag employees pays off by revoeniriag that the effort put in pays off with better-motivated and better-educaied employees. In the case of Walman, "updkilling" las becone a prionity. Walmart has gone beyond education to motivate of cmpower employees, In 2016. pay taises for 1:2 millice cmployers took effect as part of a ocw minimum-wage policy, and it streamlined ins paid time off program that same yeat (Schmid 2017 ). lo its 2016 Global Responsibility Report, Walmart points out that aver the course of two yeats, the company has invested $2.7 bellioe in wages, benefits, and training in the Untited States (Staley 2017). Critical Thinking Qurstiens 1. A 2015 Ner York Fimes article described Amaren as "a suullesk, dystopian woekplace where ao fun is had and no laghtser heard" (Cook 2015 n p.). Employess themselves came to the company's defense (Ciubotariu 2015). Does this reputation continue to haunt Amazon, or has it heen addressed? 2. How do employecr differ between a Walmurt retail location and an Amazon otder fulfitiment center? How masy white-collar of akilled jobs does Amazon have compared to Walmart? 3. With Amazoe moving into the retsil market with the purchase of Whole Foods, and with Walmurt cepunding ith econmeree, how are employee motivation challenges going to stift
