Sector guide
Retail and shops
Shops offer varied tasks, from stocking shelves to serving customers, so it is usually easy to match the role to a person's strengths. Customer contact and the till are where most new starters need support.
Roles that often work well
Shelf stacker, stock assistant, cashier, online order picker, visual merchandising assistant, customer host
Common barriers
- Constant customer contact can be tiring or stressful
- Standing for long periods and lifting stock
- Tills, scanners and product codes can be hard to learn quickly
Quick adjustments
- A stool or perch at the till
- A mix of customer-facing and back-of-store tasks
- Written scripts for common customer questions
- Shorter shifts or extra breaks during the first weeks
Extra steps in your plan
Map front-of-store and back-of-store tasks
Listing tasks with and without customer contact makes it easy to build a role that fits the person, and to change it as they grow.
Get ready · Recommended · About 1 hour
Give scripts for common customer situations
Short written answers to typical questions, complaints and moments when they don't know the answer give new starters confidence and a way to ask for help.
Onboard · Essential · About 1 hour
Offer seating and breaks by default
A stool at the till and planned breaks help anyone with pain, fatigue or a fluctuating condition, without them having to ask.
Offer and prepare · Recommended · 15 min
Turn this into your own plan
Choose your type of business and who you are hiring, and get one checklist that tracks your progress, plus a tracker for each new hire's first six months.
This toolkit is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules on recruitment, adjustments and support schemes differ between countries, so check with your local employment service or an adviser.