Extended Hours in Quebec: How to Succeed Without Weakening Your Teams

On March 11, Quebec retailers can now stay open until 9 PM, Monday through Sunday. Retail associations are applauding. CFOs are calculating potential revenue increases. But in HR offices, it’s a different story.

Here’s what few people are saying: this commercial opportunity risks worsening an already critical HR crisis.

With a turnover rate of 25.9% and only 47.9% of recruitment objectives met in 2024, Quebec retailers simply don’t have enough employees for their current hours. So adding 3-4 additional hours of operation?

Here are the challenges ahead, and more importantly, how to prepare to transform this opportunity into lasting success.

The Hidden HR Challenges of Extended Hours

Challenge #1: The Myth of “Simply Extending Hours”

When announcing extended operating hours, the initial reaction is often: “We’ll just keep our current employees 2-3 hours longer, right?”

Reality is much more complex.

Your current employees have built their lives around a 5 PM closing time. Many simply cannot work until 9 PM:

• The single mother who must pick up her children from daycare at 6:30 PM
• The student who has evening classes
• The employee who wants family time
• The one who has a second job starting at 7 PM

The result? You’re not redistributing the same resources. You need to actively recruit for these new shifts, in a market where you’re already struggling to fill in-store positions.

Challenge #2: Creating an Equitable Employee Experience In-Store

As soon as you announce the new hours, a burning question emerges: who will work the evening shifts?

If you let employees choose those with more seniority may favour day shifts, leaving newer and more precarious workers stuck with evening hours. If you impose rotation, you risk losing your best talent who will refuse this loss of control over their personal lives.

The trap? In both cases, you create a divide in your team. On one side, those with “the good hours.” On the other, those who feel penalized. This perceived inequity, even when you’re trying to be fair, quickly becomes a driver of resentment, then departures.

And in a sector where turnover already reaches 25.9%, you don’t need an additional catalyst.

What Retailers Who Succeed in This Transition Do

Strategy #1: Listen, Don’t Impose

Before announcing anything, take time to survey your employees. Who would actually be open to evening shifts? You might discover that some prefer these hours (students, employees with another daytime job) while others won’t be available (family obligations, evening classes, etc.).

This consultation does two things: it gives you a realistic picture of your available resources, and it transforms what could be perceived as an imposed decision into an approach co-created with your teams.

It’s also a powerful form of recognition. When you ask your employees’ opinions before making a decision that will affect their personal lives, you’re telling them: “Your reality matters. Your constraints are important. We want to find a solution that works for you as much as for us.” This message alone reduces resistance and increases engagement.

Strategy #2: Ensure an Equitable Employee Experience Between Shifts

The most dangerous trap? Creating two classes of employees: day workers who have “the good job” and evening workers who feel like second-class citizens.

What does experience equity actually mean?

Access to the same resources: Evening employees must have access to the same tools, support, and training as day employees. If management is only present during the day, evening employees may feel forgotten.

Equivalent recognition: If all recognitions, promotions, and opportunities go to day employees (because they’re more visible), you create resentment. Ensure your managers actively recognize contributions from both shifts.

Bidirectional communication: Important decisions shouldn’t only be announced during day meetings. Information, changes, and celebrations must circulate equitably.

The goal: An evening employee should feel as valued, informed, and supported as a day employee. Otherwise, you create a divide that leads directly to turnover.

Strategy #3: Test Before Large-Scale Deployment

The classic mistake? Announcing extended hours for all stores simultaneously, then discovering three months later it’s not working as planned.

The smart approach: start with a pilot phase.

Choose 1-2 stores representative of your network. Not necessarily your best (where everything always works) or worst (where nothing ever works), but stores that reflect your average reality. Test extended hours for 2-3 months, long enough to get past the novelty effect and see real patterns emerge.

Measure what truly matters:

Do sales between 5-9 PM justify labour costs? Some retailers might discover customers don’t come as much as expected in the evening. Does turnover increase in these pilot stores compared to the rest of the network? If so, by how much, and among whom (new vs. experienced, full-time vs. part-time)? How do your employees actually feel? A quick survey after 4-6 weeks often reveals problems you hadn’t anticipated.

Adjust before committing.

Perhaps you discover three evenings per week are enough, no need for five. Or that certain stores near residential areas perform well in evenings, but not those in business districts. This pilot phase allows you to course-correct before deploying to 15, 30, or 50 stores. And it also sends a message to your teams: “We’re not improvising, we’re testing intelligently.”

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Extending Your Hours

The new law gives you permission to open until 9 PM. But having the right to do it doesn’t mean you should do it immediately. Here are essential questions to ask before making this decision:

☐ Do we have enough employees for our current hours?

If you’re already constantly understaffed, regularly asking your teams to work overtime, or certain shifts are systematically difficult to fill, adding 3-4 hours of daily operation will only worsen the problem.

☐ What is our current turnover rate?

If your turnover exceeds 20%, you have a retention problem that must be addressed before adding complexity. Extending hours can accelerate departures. The average rate in Canadian retail is 25.9%. If you’re above that, implementing solutions to address the situation is a priority.

☐ How many current employees are actually open to evening shifts?

Don’t guess, ask. A quick, confidential survey will give you the real picture. If fewer than 30% say they’re open, you already know you’ll need to recruit massively.

☐ What are the complete real costs, not just salaries?

Beyond additional hours to pay, consider costs in management supervision, additional security, recruitment, and replacement if turnover increases.

☐ Do we have managers to supervise these hours?

Who will be present between 5-9 PM? Your senior managers typically leave in late afternoon. Will you rely on junior supervisors? Are they ready? Do they need additional training?

☐ How will we maintain equity and avoid resentment?

Do you have a clear plan to ensure employee experience is equitable between day and evening shifts? How will you recognize those who accept these shifts? How will you ensure opportunities (promotions, development, recognition) are distributed equitably?

☐ Do we have a plan to measure impact, not just sales?

You’ll certainly track revenues between 5-9 PM. But will you also track: turnover specific to evening employees, employee satisfaction before/after, real vs. anticipated cost, evening customer service quality? Without this data, you won’t know if the initiative is truly profitable.

Conclusion: The Opportunity Is Real, and Successful Transition Is Possible

Extended hours until 9 PM represent a real commercial opportunity for Quebec retailers. In an increasingly competitive market against e-commerce, being able to serve your customers after their work hours is an undeniable strategic advantage.

But for this transition to succeed, for you AND for your teams, preparation is essential.

A rushed transition creates resentment, accelerates turnover, and can end up costing more than it generates. Your employees feel imposed upon, your managers are overwhelmed, and six months later, you’re facing a retention crisis.

A thoughtful transition begins with listening. It builds equity between shifts. It tests before deploying massively. It measures real impact beyond sales. And it creates a situation where everyone wins: your organisation generates additional revenue, your customers benefit from more flexibility, and your employees feel respected in the process.

Retailers who will succeed in this transition don’t just ask “Should we extend our hours?”

They ask: “How can we extend our hours in a way that benefits our teams, our customers, and our organisation?”

It’s this collaborative approach that transforms a commercial opportunity into lasting success.