New research has revealed that UK retailers could face an exodus of staff ahead of the Black Friday and peak Christmas trading period.
The ‘Workplace Values Study’ by sharetech platform Vestd looked at what’s influencing UK employees in 2025, revealing that almost one in four retail employees plan to quit their role in the next three months.
Surveying full-time UK employees across five different industries, the study found that retail reported one of the highest intentions to leave, with 73% of staff currently looking for new opportunities.
Among the key reasons behind this, heavy workloads were listed as the biggest factor impacting work/life balance (27%), with an increased footfall across retail environments likely to contribute to higher operational strain.
Retail employees are also experiencing a rise in anti-social and threatening behaviour, which has resulted in them being offered free training to cope with expected abuse from disgruntled customers.
To help retain staff and prevent a mass Christmas walkout, retailers are being offered advice on how to keep the team motivated based on what matters most to employees.
Mental health
An emerging theme from the survey showed that mental health is a priority for retail staff, reflecting growing concerns about burnout and the pressures of peak trading periods.
Findings from the study highlighted that mental health and wellbeing perks were listed as the third most important workplace benefit to employees.
However, almost a third of staff say they don’t feel comfortable raising mental health issues in the workplace, even though 94% experience stress and over a third report it at significant levels.
Feasible Christmas bonuses
Financial rewards were also a key priority for employees, with bonus schemes ranking as the highest in importance, as well as performance-based incentives.
While many retailers tend to offer additional Christmas discounts to staff on their merchandise, the findings indicate that employees place greater value on financial incentives that directly recognise their performance.
It’s also an opportunity for retailers to retain their talent and keep their staff motivated post-Christmas, as the rewards they offer can help build long-term brand loyalty and engagement.
Employee share schemes
Another key takeaway was that employee share schemes ranked as the third most important workplace benefit.
To that, nearly 60% said having shares in the company would keep them more motivated at work, highlighting their growing appeal among retail staff.
Allowing retail employees to engage in share ownership schemes could encourage them to invest more effort and loyalty into a company that values transparency and long-term growth.
Workplace benefits ranked in order of importance:
Bonus scheme
Performance-based rewards
Mental health and wellbeing perks
Retail discounts
Employee share scheme
Training and development fund
Parental leave policies
Ifty Nasir, founder and CEO of Vestd, commented on the findings:
“The findings from our ‘Workplace Values Survey’ show the need to understand and tackle the problems facing retail staff, especially as we approach the busiest shopping period of the year. Employers must consider these to retain their staff and avoid having a huge walkout when retailers will need their workforce most.
“The high proportion of retail employees looking to change roles highlights a clear potential turnover risk, particularly for employers failing to address top priorities like mental health and wellbeing parks, as well as bonuses to incentivise staff.
“And with nearly 60% of retail workers saying that having ownership in their company would increase motivation, it shows that options such as employee share schemes not only reward staff but also align their success with the company’s, making them far more likely to stay.
“Ultimately, it’s vital to speak to employees about how they’re feeling in the workplace and offer viable solutions in order to keep them motivated and invested in their work.”
