Young people who began working in retail around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic or soon after are being invited to share their experiences, as part of an inquiry into the “hybrid generation”.
To mark five years since the first lockdowns began globally, business standards and improvement company BSI is investigating the impact of the restrictions on younger workers, and how transformed ways of working have shaped subsequent career journeys, including for those in sectors where many roles have remained on site, such as retail. As part of this BSI is today opening a public call for evidence, inviting submissions from individuals or groups with relevant experience on the topic. The inquiry will cover multiple sectors but take a specific focus on those working in retail.
BSI’s inquiry, part of its Evolving Together series on the Future of Work, will look at areas including job satisfaction, mental and psychological well-being, frequency of job changes, and earning potential, as well as skills development and career progression. The aim is to understand what steps can be taken to ensure younger workers can thrive and play a productive part in their businesses, helping them to grow and supporting the economy more broadly.
With ONS data suggesting retail is the single biggest employer for those aged 16 to 24, with this cohort accounting for 13% of jobs, and those aged 25 to 29 accounting for a further 12%, BSI’s study will explore the impact of remote or hybrid models on workers starting out in sectors where this may be unavailable, and how their experience has been coloured by this wider context. The study will also assess whether the changes of recent years have created opportunities, such as enhancing diversity in recruitment or making roles more accessible.
Kate Field, global head human and social sustainability, BSI, said: “As we approach five years since the pandemic fundamentally reshaped the working world, many questions abound. While individual organizations must find the structure that works for them, flexibility is increasingly central to the conversation. Hybrid structures are now the norm for some, but not for all and certainly not for all jobs, especially retail roles, which we know are very common amongst young people.
“For those who started work as the world locked down, their experiences have necessarily been distinct to prior generations’ – and we don’t yet have a clear picture on the impact of that on their career progression, well-being or wider experiences, either short or long term. But younger workers, as with those further on in their careers, have an enormous amount to contribute. We believe it is critical to build greater understanding, so that they have the opportunity to flourish at work and help their businesses and the economy to grow.”
BSI guides businesses around the world on areas including enhancing health, safety and well-being at work, diversity and inclusion, certifying organizations against the requirements of international standards on occupational health and safety (ISO 45001) and managing psychosocial risks (ISO 45003). In 2021/2 BSI published the Prioritizing People Model, which set out how, when organizations build a culture of care that addresses everyone’s well-being, including basic physical, psychological and fulfilment needs, the result can be a more engaged, committed and productive workforce.
Prior BSI research into the evolving workforce has looked at the Second Glass Ceiling (whereby women are leaving the workforce early and not out of choice, for reasons including menopause) and the age-diverse workforce (in which people are staying in jobs for longer and greater numbers of generations are coexisting at work together).
Call for evidence
To inform this inquiry, we are asking for written evidence submissions that respond to the following questions by 31st January 2025. Please answer as many questions as you wish with as much detail as you feel suitable. We thank you for your time and insight.
To respond as an individual please complete this questionnaire or email BSIPressOffice@bsigroup.com.
To respond on behalf of an organization please complete this questionnaire.
