Travel Retail Norway: How 1,000 Employees Create Norway's Largest Tax-Free Experience

‍Travel Retail Norway (TRN) holds a special place in the hearts of Norwegians, especially when it comes to tax-free shopping. What many may not know is just how large the organization truly is. With 1,000 employees, increasing to as many as 1,300 during the summer season, it’s a major operation. At Gardermoen alone, 750 people work, and TRN operates six stores at the airport.

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One of Norway's Largest

These stores collectively generate more revenue than Sandvika Storsenter. In fact, the arrivals store at Gardermoen is the largest in the country in terms of revenue, with IKEA Furuset as its only real competitor. The store features 36 cash registers and operates with a three-shift schedule, including night shifts.

At times, as many as 50 employees can be working in a single store, making it challenging to get to know everyone. This large scale also leads to some internal fragmentation, with the different stores divided into smaller units, each facing unique challenges in fostering a strong sense of teamwork.

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The Pandemic's Brutal Impact

The pandemic hit TRN hard. Almost overnight, commercial operations came to a halt, and on March 16, 2020, the company issued layoff notices to 1,080 employees. Haakon Dagestad, Deputy CEO of Travel Retail Norway, explains:

"We began discussions shortly after the country shut down, and within days, we sent layoff notices to 1,080 employees. The following weekend, 118 more notices were issued. By May 2020, only 46 of our 1,420 employees were still working. Revenue had dropped by 98.8%."

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Transition to More Frequent Feedback

To gain better insight into employee well-being, Travel Retail Norway decided to move from annual to weekly pulse surveys. Previously, they conducted extensive culture surveys three times a year: one large survey with 120 questions and two smaller ones with 50 questions each. However, this wasn’t sufficient. The company experienced frequent changes that required more immediate feedback.

Between these large surveys, decisions were often based on anecdotes or the most dominant opinions. TRN wanted to adopt a more data-driven approach to gain a more accurate picture of the organization's situation.

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A More Data-Driven Approach to Employee Development

Travel Retail Norway has observed a clear connection between how well leaders support their teams and the results in areas like personal development.

At Gardermoen, where TRN has 700 employees, leaders who actively follow up with their teams achieve better results than those who don’t, even though the formal development opportunities are the same for everyone. When leaders clarify expectations and facilitate a positive outlook for the future, employee satisfaction increases.

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All Employees Are Heard

Addressing issues related to bullying and harassment can be challenging. TRN uses data from Winningtemp to map out situations and then employs classic leadership methods—being present, talking to people, and observing.

To ensure all employees feel heard, TRN has implemented a rule that every comment from employees must be responded to within one week. This has resulted in thousands of comments and over 100,000 answered questions in a single year. While factors like vacation schedules and temporary staffing must be accounted for, TRN finds that providing quick responses boosts employee engagement.

When management works in the stores, they emphasize listening to employees to understand how things are going. As they put it: one should never ask, “How’s it going?” without having time to listen to the answer. This approach uncovers valuable information, but it’s crucial to act on it; otherwise, there’s a risk of creating unrealistic expectations.

Haakon Dagestad concludes:
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"With just three clicks, you get a report from Winningtemp showing how things have been over the past month. By making this a monthly routine, you gain ongoing insight into how things are actually going."

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