AppleInsider Staff
Apple Stores saw employee retention rates of 81 percent coming out of 2015, the highest ever recorded according to retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who attributes the statistic to a feeling of connectedness unique to Apple.
Also a likely contributor is Ahrendts' attitude toward those in her charge. As she said in a recent interview with Fast Company, Apple retail employees "don't feel like they're just somebody over here working with customers," their jobs have meaning.
"I don't see them as retail employees. I see them as executives in the company who are touching the customers with the products that Jony [Ive] and the team took years to build," Ahrendts said. "Somebody has to deliver it to the customer in a wonderful way."
After visiting Apple Stores in 40 markets during her first six months on the job, Ahrendts came to understand why Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world. Like devotees who see beyond the products and branding, Apple employees benefit from a deeply entrenched sense of culture, which Ahrendts said manifests in "the pride, the protection, the values."
"The company was built to change people's lives," she said. "That foundation, that service mentality, that drive to continue to change lives — that is a core value in the company. And Tim [Cook] then has added his on: He says it's also our responsibility to leave it better than we found it. So you have these two amazing pillars and a culture built around that."
That ingrained sense of service is the lifeblood of Apple, but those tenets might not be clear to outsiders. Ahrendts herself only understood after spending time assessing the team, saying Apple culture is "deeper than you would ever imagine" and not only affects employees at the company's Cupertino headquarters, but workers at its Apple Store satellites.
Ahrendts' recent comments echo those made during a November interview in which she offered perspective into Apple's current retail operations, as well as plans for the future. At the time, Ahrendts said Apple is a "pretty flat organization," noting she communicates with her staff directly via email, an uncommon practice for a high-level executive.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
48 Comments
Another reason why Tim Cook should be fired!
Look at all the companies with unhappy retail staff! Their share price is higher! Cook needs to make his employees miserable or get off the pot!
Woooo. Not treating your employees like dirt makes them want to stay. Maybe one of these days more companies will realize that.
Angela is great. One cannot deny this. I have a lot of respect for her.
Next up, respect the customer: €114 to cover an iPad mini 4 front and back is an insult. Put more than 16 GB in base devices. I'd say something if the devices were cheap—they are not. Provide the value you claim is in them. 32 GB base devices at a minimum. Don't cripple base iMacs. Don't cripple Fusion Drives. Fix graphical firmware issues across your devices. My 5K iMac should be able to start without the Apple logo flickering once during progress bar. Bring back software quality and quit adding so many features. Fix the ongoing buginess with the third party iOS keyboards implementation. Magic Trackpad 2 = €149? 32 GB Apple TV = €179? New Apple TV remote here doesn't include Siri and costs €89? WTF.
81% - I would have thought that rather low retention rate in the retail market. I haven't worked in retail for over 12 years, but back then, we never had more than 5% staff loss in any given year - 18000+ employees (not counting those who reached retirement age).
I wonder does someone search her bag each day as she leaves? I imagine so if Apple treats it's retail employees as executives. I'll bet she was thrilled with the 9 month Apple Music subscription gift.