Checks are good – but trust is better, sometimes
Too much checking can lead to the unwanted departure of well-trained staff. Reducing the number of checklists can lead to higher sales and fewer resignations in the retail sector. This is the finding of a study recently published as a Research Insight by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin). As part of the study, two checklists were abolished at a bakery chain in Germany. Sales subsequently rose by 2.7 per cent. “That is a significant figure when you consider the low margins in the retail sector,” says Guido Friebel, project manager at RFBerlin and Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Goethe University Frankfurt.
At the same time, unwanted resignations among skilled staff fell by 35 per cent. The HR department of the bakery chain had previously been particularly concerned about trained staff who had spent up to three years learning the trade at the company. Their resignations had been on the rise. HR wanted to retain them more effectively. “According to the survey, experienced skilled workers found it most annoying when the company asked them to use checklists. But unskilled workers seem to prefer the checklists,” says Friebel. Consequently, resignations among unskilled workers rose by 20 per cent following the abolition of the lists. “Incidentally, regional managers overseeing between 10 and 15 stores were able to accurately predict which locations would see the most significant positive effects. “Company management would therefore always do well to talk at length with their middle management,” adds Friebel.
In surveys of staff following the abolition of the two checklists, the perception of how much management trusted them rose from 5.2 to 5.5 points on a scale of up to 7.0. Workplace engagement increased from 4.8 to 5.1 points, also on a scale of 0 to 7.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Guido Friebel, 0049/ 69/ 79 83 48 23; gfriebel@wiwi.uni-frankfurt.de
Originalpublikation:
RFBerlin Research Insight: “When Checklists Backfire: Too Much Control Can Harm Workers and Sales”;
www.rfberlin.com/research-insights/when-checklists-backfire-too-much-control/
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/26065.pdf Is This Really Kneaded? Identifying and Eliminating Potentially Harmful Forms of Workplace Control” by Guido Friebel, Matthias Heinz, Mitchell Hoffman, Tobias Kretschmer and Nick Zubanov; RFBerlin Discussion Paper No. 65/26;
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