82 426
Fashion Jobs
SACK OFF 5TH
Asset Protection Uniform Guard
Permanent · PARAMUS
SACK OFF 5TH
Asset Protection Investigator
Permanent · SHREWSBURY
SACK OFF 5TH
Fulfillment Associate Part-Time
Permanent · LAWRENCEVILLE
NGG
Sales Supervisor
Permanent · NEW YORK
COTY
Assistant Marketing Manager, us Luxury - Burberry Makeup
Permanent · NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Enterprise Research Administration Training Manager
Permanent · RALEIGH
NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Academic Coordinator
Permanent · RALEIGH
CENTRIC BRANDS
(Assistant) Manager, Logistics (Origin Carriers)
Permanent · NEW YORK
CENTRIC BRANDS
Keyholder, Robert Graham - Scottsdale
Permanent · SCOTTSDALE
CENTRIC BRANDS
Keyholder, Robert Graham - Las Vegas (Forum Shops)
Permanent · LAS VEGAS
MICHAEL KORS
PT Sales Supervisor, Walt Whitman Shops Huntington Station NY 11746
Permanent · HUNTINGTON
JCREW
Associate Manager
Permanent · CHARLOTTE
RAG & BONE
Account Executive
Permanent · NEW YORK
RAG & BONE
Senior Coordinator, Retail Marketing
Permanent · NEW YORK
MACY'S
Manager, Asset Protection
Permanent · FRIENDSWOOD
MACY'S
Asset Protection Detective, Southlake Mall - Part Time
Permanent · CLAYTON
MACY'S
Asset Protection Detective - Multi-Store, South Shore Plaza - Full Time
Permanent · BRAINTREE
MACY'S
Asset Protection Lead Detective - Multi-Store, South Shore Plaza - Full Time
Permanent · BRAINTREE
MACY'S
Manager, Asset Protection - Multi-Store
Permanent · FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS
STAND OUT FOR GOOD
Brand Rep
Permanent · LEAWOOD
RALPH LAUREN
Associate Manager
Permanent · TEXAS CITY
RALPH LAUREN
Associate Manager
Permanent · LEEDS
By
Reuters API
Published
Nov 20, 2019
Reading time
2 minutes
Download
Download the article
Print
Text size

Zalando defends system of ranking staff like online products

By
Reuters API
Published
Nov 20, 2019

Zalando, Europe's biggest online-only fashion retailer, has rejected accusations that a performance management tool that asks employees to give feedback on each other and ranks them accordingly increases stress and infringes privacy.


Zalando



In a study published on Wednesday, the Hans Boeckler Foundation, a research body close to the German trade union federation, said Zalando's Zonar software had damaged the working environment without necessarily improving performance.

"In this case, it is not the customers, who evaluate a product, but the employees themselves who evaluate each other," the foundation said in a statement. "

This increases the perception of a competitive situation among employees, which in turn creates pressure to perform, self-discipline and stress."

Data privacy and colleague feedback are sensitive issues in Germany after the Stasi encouraged workers to inform on each other in the former Communist East.

Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando has grown rapidly and now sells clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products in 17 European markets, employing a total of 14,000 people.

Zonar uses feedback from colleagues working in its Berlin offices to generate scores for each employee and ranks them as either a low, good or top performer. The system is used in appraisals and to decide on promotions and wage increases.

Zalando rejected the findings of the study, saying it was not representative as it was based on just 10 interviews with employees, of the 5,000 who can take part in the Zonar process.

"At Zalando, transparency and an open feedback culture is a daily reality," it said, adding that 67% of staff describe the company as a good employer, according to the latest employee survey, with only 13% keen to leave in the next year or two.

Zalando rejected a suggestion by the foundation that the system might infringe employee privacy, saying it complies with European data protection rules.

"Performance appraisals of employees are an important, legally recognised and permissible purpose of data collection, both for us as a company and for our employees," it said.

Online retailers like Zalando and Amazon have frequently drawn criticism in Germany from trade unions for tough working conditions in their warehouses, which the companies have repeatedly rejected.

 

© Thomson Reuters 2024 All rights reserved.