Consumers’ demands of retailers have not abated in spite of economic conditions: more channels, more seamless experiences across channels, and a significant shift towards online as the starting point for more shopping trips have put new pressures on where retailers deploy their labor, and how to make the best use of the labor hours they have available to invest.

All through the last year, RSR’s research has shown that Retail Winners managed inventory and prices tightly, and spent their free time planning their comeback for when consumer spending returned. Labor is no exception. This year’s benchmark on retail workforce management finds that while labor needs have changed significantly, the need for flexibility and control over when and where labor is deployed has not.

The report includes analysis of over 130 retailer respondents to RSR’s 2010 survey on workforce management in retail. Included are 14 charts, including adoption plans over the next two years, and recommendations for how retailers can achieve differentiation and strategic advantage through their workforce management practices and processes.