Dianna Sayre is responsible for supply chain, global distribution, asset protection, finance and legal for global specialty retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. As VP of HR, business partner, corporate functions, she oversees a contingent workforce of nearly 600 employees, which provides support for all aspects of the company’s e-commerce business, as well as their customer service call center operations.

During the challenging 2020 peak season, Sayre quickly instituted safety measures that succeeded in preventing the spread of Covid-19 in its distribution centers. She began a triage program with the health and safety and operations departments to prepare for what might happen next.

Sayre also faced hiring challenges as fears of Covid-19 and stimulus payments, higher unemployment wages and remote-work opportunities led to a candidate shortfall across the industry. With fewer people available to hire, she sought to answer, “What is the secret sauce to get people to join us?”

Her answer was to strategically use data and associate insights to design an innovative rewards strategy to hire and retain temp workers. As a result, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. became a market leader with a substantially lower turnover rate than other retailers (17% compared to an average of 30%).

Sayre was driving improvements even before the pandemic,. For example, during the 2019 peak season, workers received free meals at the campus cafeteria, which eliminated a common stressor for the temp workforce.