Give employees what they want
ne of the benefits
of owning a drycleaning business is that most are small enough
for the owners to keep a finger on the pulse of daily
operations.
 | ||
The hiring dilemma is further exacerbated
by the lack of available HR training for owners and managers.
As a result, the HR department becomes the HH department (hire
and hope).
Retaining good employees starts with a
well thought out recruiting program. A good recruiting program
begins with an understanding of what current and potential
employees want from their job.
Many employers think (wrongly) that the
only thing that motivates people to stay with a company is
money. Numerous studies involving thousands of employees (Note:
employees, not employers!) have been conducted over the past 20
years. These studies consistently show that what employees
truly want and need — in order of importance — are:
1. Recognition.
2. A sense of community.
3. Security.
4. Competitive wages.
Recognition
Your employees need to know that what they
do for the company, day in and day out, is of value to the
owner. A sense of value is not conveyed merely by saying
“Good morning.” Many owners feel a greeting and a
paycheck is recognition.
When was the last time you asked an
employee for input on a production, quality or packaging issue?
You need to open up the lines of
communication with your employees. The best time to do this is
when things are going well. When you have a good week in
production, pull those people together a few minutes before
lunch on Friday and tell them that they made it a good week.
Let them know that you will be buying them
lunch on Monday and that during lunch you would like to hear
their ideas on “how we can make things better.”
Your employees must feel that they have some input and that
they are important to you and to the company.
A great example of employee recognition
was demonstrated recently by John Patterson who is the owner of
Complete Cleaners in Alabama. Another drycleaner stopped by to
see John’s plant. During the tour, John introduced him to
each one of his more than 30 employees. He introduced each one
individually and mentioned how long the person has worked for
him and let his visitor know how important this employee is to
the company.
Taking the time to introduce each employee
gives them a great sense of recognition and shows John’s
sincere commitment to his entire staff.
The key word here is
“sincere.” Too many owners believe they can inspire
their employees with lip service. Remember, your actions speak
louder than your words.
A sense of community
To employees, the second most important
aspect of going to work is knowing that they will be spending
their time with people who have the same or similar attitudes.
This is a difficult area to assess during the recruiting and
interviewing process.
To determine if an individual will be a
good fit in your organization, you must first learn how to shut
up and let the interviewee do the talking.
Ask the potential employee to tell you
what he or she liked and disliked about previous jobs. Ask how
they got along with other employees. Ask them to describe their
previous supervisor(s).
Listen closely to their responses. The
person being interviewed should talk 85 percent of the time,
you 15 percent of the time.
Once you decide to hire an individual,
assign one trusted employee to be the “new hire
liaison” for a week. The job of the new hire liaison is
to introduce the new person to your other employees and take
breaks and lunch with the new hire. It is ownership’s
responsibility to create an environment that is welcoming and
friendly.
If all this advice is beginning to sound a
little too “touchy feely,” think about how much
money and time is being spent (wasted) each year on employee
turnover.
This approach in no way inhibits your
ability to establish high quality, production and attendance
standards. As a matter of fact, when your employees are working
in an organization that puts a high value on their individual
and group efforts and are working in a friendly environment,
they will work even harder toward the company’s overall
success.
Security
Security refers to the company’s
ability to survive long-term. Everyone knows they have to work
to live. If what you offer your employees is the same
atmosphere, the same pay and the same benefits as your
competition, you will get the same type of employees that they
have.
These are the ones who could care less who
they work for. These are the people who will change jobs for a
one-dollar-an-hour raise or who will work for less per hour if
you pay them under the table. Believe it or not, these
individuals represent less than 20 percent of your potential
work force. More about this later.
Individuals who seek/need some recognition
and who want to work in a friendly atmosphere also want to work
for a company that will be around for a long time. A feeling of
job security can only exist when the employees believe the
company will stay in business for many years to come. Security
is very important to the best employees.
Competitive wages
Competitive wages are important to people
because everyone must eat and they must sleep with a roof over
their heads. The reason that wages rate number four on the
employees’ list of priorities is that anyone in America
who is competent enough to maintain a job has food and housing.
Wages only become a big issue with
employees when the first three priorities are not met. I know
this is true because I have analyzed thousands of employee
questionnaires and interviewed thousands of employees over the
course of my career as a management consultant.
When employees are not recognized for
their value to the company or, even worse, when they work for
someone with a condescending attitude, they will complain.
When employees want to complain, what is
there for them to complain about? Will they get anyone’s
attention with “I don’t feel valued”? Of
course not! Their only option is to complain about their wages.
Unless you are grossly underpaying your people, complaints
about wages mask other problems.
Earlier in this article, I mentioned
paying people under the table or off the books. There are many
places throughout the country where owners will tell me,
“Robson, you don’t understand. In this city, no one
will work for you if you don’t pay them under the
table.”
Methinks these tales qualify as urban
legends.
The facts are that in every city there are
more employers who pay all their employees on the books and pay
all their employees time and a half for overtime hours than
there are employers who do not. As I’ve written many
times before, when you play the game by the rules, you will
never have to compromise your ability to be a strong leader.
Those owners who do it right are the most successful.
Avoid the Hire and Hope treadmill. Take a
step back and try to look at your company as an outsider would.
What do you see? Are your employees being recognized? You and I
know your employees have value to the company… do they
know it? Is your company an inviting place to work? How much
time and effort (not money) have you invested in creating a
pleasant work environment? When you hire new people do you talk
about the future? It is your responsibility to develop a sense
of security — short and long-term. No one will be
committed to the future of the company if you are not.
In the game of business the more you know
the better you can play the game.
Alan Robson is a private consultant
dealing with the specialized needs of the drycleaning industry.
Contact him by telephone at (941) 408-8819 or send e-mail to
him at: alan@bizbuilderonline.com or visit the Biz Builder web site: www.bizbuilderonline.com.
 |