Reducing Employee Turnover in Perfume Retail Stores: An HR Perspective

 

By Mohamed Althaf Ahamed / MBA Batch 37 / July 2026

 Why Employee Retention Matters

Working in a perfume retail company has taught me that our greatest asset is not the fragrance we sell but the people who represent our brand. Customers may enter the store because of a perfume, but they return because of the service they receive. When experienced employees leave, we lose valuable product knowledge, customer relationships, and team stability. This has shown me that reducing employee turnover is essential for long-term business success.

Understanding the Causes of Turnover

    Figure 1. Perfume retail employees interacting with customers and participating in team discussions. These images illustrate the importance of employee engagement and customer service in reducing turnover. (Source: Adapted from Gallup (2024)

From my experience, employee turnover is often highest during busy retail periods such as Ramadan, Eid, and year-end promotions. Retail consultants are expected to achieve demanding sales targets while providing exceptional customer service. In one of our stores, an experienced fragrance consultant resigned after experiencing work-related stress and limited career development opportunities. This experience reinforced my belief that organisations must address the underlying causes of turnover instead of focusing only on replacing employees.

HR Strategies That Create Long-Term Commitment

 

Figure 2. HR initiatives such as employee recognition, training programmes, and supportive leadership help improve engagement and retention. ( Source: Adapted from Gallup (2024)

To improve employee retention, our HR team introduced structured onboarding programmes, monthly product knowledge training, employee recognition initiatives, flexible shift scheduling, and regular performance discussions. Managers were also encouraged to provide continuous feedback and recognise employees' achievements. These initiatives helped improve employee engagement, strengthened teamwork, and created a more supportive workplace culture.

Current research supports these practices. According to the Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report (2024), only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, while 62% are not engaged and 17% are actively disengaged. Furthermore, the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report (2024) found that 90% of organisations consider employee retention a major priority, with learning and career development identified as key retention strategies.

Employee Engagement and Retention Trends

The chart below presents current statistics that support the importance of employee retention strategies.

Figure 3. Employee Engagement and Retention Trends (2024)


Indicator

Percentage

Engaged employees

21%

Not engaged

62%

Actively disengaged

17%

Organisations prioritising retention

90%

Figure 3Figure 3. Employee engagement and retention trends. (Source: Adapted from Gallup (2024) State of the Global Workplace Report and LinkedIn Learning (2024) Workplace Learning Report.)

Conclusion

This topic has reinforced my understanding that reducing employee turnover requires more than competitive salaries. Employees are more likely to remain with an organisation when they receive recognition, career development opportunities, supportive leadership, and a healthy work environment. In perfume retailing, where customer relationships influence brand loyalty, investing in employees is ultimately an investment in long-term business success.

Recommended Video

TEDx Talks – The Secret to Keeping Great Employees

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TEDx+The+Secret+to+Keeping+Great+Employees

 

References (Harvard Style)

Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2023) Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 16th edn. London: Kogan Page.

Gallup (2024) State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report. Washington, DC: Gallup.

LinkedIn Learning (2024) Workplace Learning Report 2024. LinkedIn.

Robbins, S.P. and Judge, T.A. (2022) Organizational Behavior. 19th edn. Harlow: Pearson.

 

A Question to Reflect On

If organisations invest heavily in attracting new customers, shouldn't they invest just as much in retaining the employees who create those customer experiences?

Comments

  1. Pravindhya PussepitiyaJuly 25, 2026 at 9:08 PM

    Great read! I really enjoyed how this article highlights the connection between employee retention and long term business success. I completely agree that organizations should invest just as much in retaining employees as they do in attracting customers. Employees are the ones who shape every customer experience, and when they feel valued, supported, and engaged, it naturally leads to better service and stronger customer loyalty. Thank you for sharing such valuable insights! 👏

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mohamed Althaf AhamedJuly 26, 2026 at 1:09 AM

      Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I'm glad you found the article meaningful. I completely agree that valued and engaged employees are the foundation of great customer experiences and long-term business success. I appreciate you taking the time to share your insights!

      Delete
  2. Theekshana PussepitiyaJuly 27, 2026 at 8:43 AM

    This was an interesting perspective on employee retention, especially how you linked employee experience with customer satisfaction in the perfume retail industry. I agree that factors like recognition, career growth, and supportive leadership play a major role in reducing turnover. However, I also think employee retention can vary depending on individual expectations, workplace conditions, and external factors such as salary competitiveness. One suggestion would be to include how organizations can measure whether these retention strategies are actually improving employee satisfaction over time. Overall, this was a well-balanced discussion on an important HR challenge.

    ReplyDelete

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