Goals and progress
Employees | Engaging employees
We know that employees who are engaged in the work they do are more committed to the company’s success. They work harder to meet or exceed goals, and are more likely to make a greater, longer-term contribution.
In the last two years, we’ve worked hard to address the challenge of keeping our talent in an increasingly competitive industry. We do so by engaging employees in both their everyday work and helping them see how their contributions support the long-term success of the company. It’s a challenge, especially when business results aren’t as strong as we would like.
We seek to connect with, and support, our employees in many ways — communicating more openly and honestly, trying to show appreciation for a job well done, providing comprehensive benefits and valued programs, and stepping in to help during times of crisis.
Reducing voluntary turnover continues to be a priority for us, and we know we have more work to do. Still, in the past year we’ve seen lower turnover in our field teams, as well as in our designer and merchant groups and at the executive level. On average, turnover in most of these product groups declined by 15-20 percent. Turnover at the vice president and above level decreased by 32 percent between 2007 and 2008.
Based on employees’ feedback, we have created several new programs across the company. For instance, in 2008, we launched an initiative for our distribution center employees called “How We Work.” This program provides a clear and simple framework for Gap Inc.’s commitment to employees and how we work together. It includes maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, promoting fair treatment, paying competitive wages and benefits, and reinforcing our pledge to foster an active, engaged partnership.
In 2008, we launched an initiative to promote better understanding between the employees in our headquarters and our stores. This Work-in-Stores Program enables employees at our corporate headquarters to gain experience working in stores at one of our brands. The result: customers and store management benefit from becoming more visible to corporate employees, while corporate employees gain valuable hands-on experience and insight into store operations.
In our Outlet division, we’ve piloted a program for headquarters employees who want a more flexible work schedule. Results-Oriented Work Environment (ROWE) gives employees the opportunity to work whenever and wherever they want — as long as their work gets done and they meet business needs. We believe this flexibility will increase our employees’ commitment to their jobs — and the company — and lead to increased productivity and business results. Based on results of the initial rollout, we expanded to all Outlet headquarters employees in 2009.
