You’re familiar with the business whose top-management team does nothing but complain about the employee pool.
They’re unproductive, they’re unreliable, and they don’t have the company’s best interest at heart.
The owner begins to consider starting over from scratch.
Enter the new management team who sees vast potential, employees willing to go to the wall for them, and a staff that works together for a common goal.
The same employees produce a totally different work environment. Why?
Expectation
Set up your employees for success the same way you set your business up to succeed.
Just as your business requires a plan, your employees need a clear road map to perform at their best.
And, outside of a few bad eggs, most people really do want to perform at their best. They want to feel a sense of accomplishment, ownership and know that there is a pathway to growth and achievement. Inspire them.
Believe in them. Take the time to acknowledge their achievements and the little milestones they accomplish as they progress.
A clear road map consists of an employee packet that contains your company’s mission statement, the protocols and procedures you’ve put in place to steer your employees to success and the processes in place that will deliver your optimal goal: exceeding your customer’s expectations.
Training
You will experience those rare and unusual moments when you hire the perfect employee for the right position at the appropriate time.
More often, you will hire a person with the right combination of drive, customer service and aplomb that you know, with the right training, will be a gift to both your company and your customers.
But all too often, a company will let the training manual fall between the seats of not enough time or trainees, leaving their employees floundering for the first few months in a sink or swim fashion.
Help your employees not only swim, but win the race.
Engage
Engagement is the term of the decade and usually synonymous with social media and customer optimization.
Engaging your employees is as important to your company’s success as it is to employee’s long-term retention.
Becoming part of a team, feeling a sense of belonging, putting their best food forward in relation to the whole all requires engagement.
Consider using social media to stay in contact with your employees. Take time to build camaraderie by conducting special team events.
Start a baseball team and get fellow businesses in the area to join in creating a league.
Model
You are the bedrock and the beacon.
Employees will be looking to you, the manager or business owner, as the ultimate example of what your business strives to model.
Be as you want your employees to be.
That means you’ll need to leave any personal issues at the door and be the positive, upbeat, cup-half-full responsible and respectful employer.
You can create a team that aspires to be and provide the very best in product and service. It may take time, patience, and a little faith, but the end-product is well worth the effort.
We know your employees are one of your most important assets. Contact us for support and information regarding alternatives and training and how to improve employee performance.
