Great Place To Work® India, the global authority on workplace culture, has unveiled its new research report, Driving Retail Performance: Crafting Customer Excellence Through a High-Trust Workplace, offering a timely and in-depth look at the realities shaping India’s retail workforce. Based on insights from more than 3 lakh employees across over 45 retail organisations, the report shows that the retail sector is expanding quickly and adopting new technologies, while facing workforce pressures that can weaken service consistency and customer experience.
The frontline continues to be the heart of the Indian retail sector, with almost three-fourths of rolesinvolving direct consumer interaction, making employee experience a direct driver of customer experience and brand loyalty.
Key insights from the report:
- Trust Index© Grand Mean improved to 86%, while overall employee sentiment stayed flat at 88%, indicating trust is rising, but day-to-day experience is not improving at the same pace
- Retail faces elevated churn risk with 42% of employees considering leaving
- Leadership capability is rated strongly with Strategic Cohesion at 90%, but the report highlights a 5-point gap in Authentic Connection, signalling the need for more approachable, present, and mentor-like leaders
- Dignity at work is a key concern, with 40% saying they do not consistently feel respected, and employees who experience dignity are 2.3X more likely to be engaged
- Burnout stands at 24%, and drops to 12% when managers are approachable and show sincere interest beyond task delivery
- Stronger authentic connection with leaders, higher dignity at work, and lower burnout together link to a ~1.5X increase in employees’ belief that the customer experience they deliver is excellent
- Workforce shifts are visible with women’s representation up 3%, Gen Z up 6%, and mid tenure employees with 2 to 5 years tenure up 6%, along with expectation gaps for women, Gen Z, and early tenure employees around manager connection, appreciation, work life balance, job security, and fair growth opportunities
The report finds that leadership behaviour and everyday people practices are central to improving stability in retail. Employee feedback shows that while leadership competence scores are high, employees want a stronger connection with managers, decisions that reflect shopfloor realities, clearer growth pathways, and more consistent action on feedback, especially for younger and early tenure employees who are more likely to view retail as temporary.
Reflecting on the findings, Balbir Singh, CEO, Great Place To Work® India, said, “Customer experience in Indian retail is shaped by people at the store, every single day. When employees feel supported and respected, they bring the energy and care that keep customers coming back.
Our study shows that burnout in the retail industry stands at 24%; however, this drops to half when employees feel their manager is approachable and shows sincere interest beyond the mandate.
For retail to truly prosper, leaders need to build a strong workplace culture through accessible leadership, dignity at work, and holistic well-being. I acknowledge the organisations that prioritize employee well-being, and I wish my heartiest congratulations to the winners of India’s Best Workplaces in Retail 2026.”
Here is the List of the 15 companies in Retail and 4 companies in Retail: E-commerce recognized as a part of India’s Best Workplaces in Retail 2026 in alphabetical order. For the complete list of winners, please visit: https://www.greatplacetowork.in/indias-best-workplaces-in-retail/
Top 15 – Retail
- Bhima Gold Private Limited
- FSN Brands Marketing Private Ltd (Nykaa Beauty)
- Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited
- Joyalukkas India Limited
- Jubilant FoodWorks Limited
- Kalyan Jewellers India Limited
- Lifestyle International Private Limited
- Max Hypermarket India Private Limited
- P N Gadgil Jewellers Limited
- Reliance Retail Limited
- Shoppers Stop Limited
- Tarz Distribution India Private Limited
- TATA Starbucks Private Limited
- Titan Company Limited
- United Foodbrands Limited (Formerly known as Barbeque-Nation Hospitality Limited)
Top 4 – Retail: E-Commerce
- bigbasket (Innovative Retail Concepts Private Limited).
- Flipkart Group (Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd., Cleartrip, Flipkart Wholesale)
- Myntra Designs Private Limited
- XYXX Apparels Private Limited
