Managing the Holiday Rush: How Oracle Cloud HCM Supports Retailers

The holiday season has always been a high-pressure period for retailers, and the 2024 holiday season is expected to be no different. With consumers increasingly shopping both in-store and online, the demands on retail operations will be higher than ever. Managing these operations requires more than just additional inventory and marketing efforts—it necessitates an agile, responsive workforce that can scale quickly and operate efficiently.

For retailers, the ability to hire, onboard, and manage seasonal workers seamlessly is critical to meeting the surge in customer demand. According to Gartner, one of the key challenges facing organizations during peak business periods is workforce flexibility. In their report on HR trends for 2024, Gartner highlights that “retailers must focus on creating flexible, adaptive workforce models that can respond quickly to seasonal demand fluctuations, especially during critical periods like the holiday season”.

But not all human capital management (HCM) solutions are equipped to handle the complexities of holiday operations. From hiring thousands of seasonal employees to managing time and labor, payroll, and compliance across different regions, retailers need a comprehensive HCM solution that can address these unique challenges. Oracle Cloud HCM stands out as a powerful solution for simplifying these operations, helping retailers stay agile and responsive to customer needs while streamlining HR processes.

1. Efficient Seasonal Hiring:

   During the holiday season, retail organizations often need to scale their workforce rapidly. Oracle Recruiting enables retailers to simplify and speed up the recruitment process:

   • AI-driven recruiting helps identify the best candidates quickly.
   • A digital assistant can engage with potential hires directly, answering questions and facilitating a seamless hiring experience across multiple platforms (like Facebook Messenger).
   • By unifying recruiting efforts with other business operations, Oracle Cloud HCM ensures that candidates reflect the brand’s values while filling positions swiftly.
2. Onboarding and Training at Scale:

   With an influx of seasonal employees, onboarding can be time-consuming. Oracle’s Talent Management system offers personalized, role-based learning modules:

   • New employees can access customized to-do lists and onboarding processes from any device.
   • Retailers can provide skills-based learning that’s built into the talent lifecycle, reducing the time needed to get seasonal staff up to speed.
3. Workforce Management & Compliance:

   Managing hourly shifts, attendance, and labor compliance during peak seasons is crucial. Oracle Cloud HCM’s Workforce Management module:

   • Allows for the flexible deployment of workforce strategies to align with the holiday rush.
   • Offers time-tracking and labor management tools, ensuring accurate shift schedules and compliance with local labor laws.
   • Its Health & Safety features promote a safer work environment, which is especially important during the busy holiday period.
4. Payroll & Benefits Flexibility:

   Payroll complexity rises with seasonal hires, especially when dealing with different regions and regulations. Oracle’s Payroll solution:

   • Localizes compliance across multiple countries, adapting to specific regulatory requirements automatically.
   • Provides access to retroactive pay options and mobile-friendly, intuitive payroll experiences, allowing seasonal workers to manage their pay efficiently.
   • Retailers can offer employees benefits like time-off tracking and financial wellness, improving employee satisfaction.
5. Post-Holiday Transition:

   Many seasonal employees seek full-time opportunities post-holiday. Oracle’s Opportunity Marketplace within Talent Management helps retain top talent:

   • Retailers can offer growth opportunities to seasonal employees looking to transition to permanent roles.
   • The AI-powered skills engine helps retailers track and inventory seasonal employees’ skills, ensuring long-term workforce planning.

Success Story: Streamlining Operations for a Luxury Hotel Resort During the Holiday Season

One of our clients, a world-renowned luxury hotel resort, faces significant operational challenges during the holiday season due to a large influx of guests. To maintain its high level of service and manage the increased bookings and staffing needs, this luxury resort turned to Oracle Cloud HCM to optimize its HR processes and workforce management.

Challenges:

• Hiring over 500 seasonal employees to accommodate the increased demand during the holiday peak.
• Ensuring all new hires were quickly onboarded and trained to meet the resort’s high service standards, particularly in guest services, housekeeping, and food and beverage roles.
• Managing flexible work schedules across various departments and locations within the resort.
• Handling complex payroll operations for employees across different regions, ensuring compliance with multiple regulatory requirements.

Oracle Cloud HCM Solutions Implemented:

• Oracle Recruiting Cloud:
  • AI-powered recruitment quickly identified and onboarded qualified candidates.
  • Oracle’s digital assistant streamlined communication, reducing recruitment time and enhancing the new hire experience.
• Oracle Talent Management:
  • Seamless onboarding via personalized, role-based learning modules.
  • Opportunity Marketplace identified long-term potential among seasonal employees, offering pathways to permanent roles.
• Oracle Workforce Management Cloud:
  • Efficient management of shift scheduling and labor needs across departments.
  • Ensured adequate staffing during peak times.
• Oracle Payroll:
  • Managed complex pay structures, ensuring accurate and timely payments.
  • Maintained compliance with regional labor laws.

Results:

• 20% improvement in operational efficiency during the holiday season.
• 30% reduction in employee onboarding times.
• 25% reduction in payroll errors.
• Maintained high-quality guest experiences during peak periods.

Conclusion:

As retailers prepare for the upcoming holiday season, Oracle Cloud HCM provides a comprehensive suite of tools that enable smoother operations, faster hiring, better workforce management, and enhanced payroll solutions. With Oracle Cloud HCM, retailers can focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences while managing their workforce efficiently.

Explore how Oracle Cloud HCM can transform your business operations by checking out our service overview, “Datavail Oracle Cloud HCM Solutions. If you are to future-proof your HR and streamline operations for the holiday season? Schedule a meeting with our experts to learn how we can help you manage your workforce more efficiently and make this holiday season a success.