Happy Employees, Happy Customers!
Employees are the heart of any business, it is essential that they are well looked after to ensure the business is as successful as possible. Due to the casual nature of work in many franchises, they can often have high employee turnover rates. There are high costs associated with staff turnover, yet it can be tough retaining the right people in the right roles.
Employment, training and retention should all be taught by the franchisor, but is often forgotten or not made a priority as the new franchisees are still in the learning phase, figuring out how to operate their business. Building a great team for your business comes with many challenges, but once you have your team and have given them the tools to perform well, your goal now is to keep them. Business owners invest a lot of time and resources in building their dream team, so it is equally as important to invest in keeping them!
At times franchisees may not understand the relationship between their employees and sales performance, and often in an attempt to cut costs will reduce staff numbers. This often has a detrimental effect on the team, by putting more pressure on staff to cover more duties. They may experience burn out and as a result business owners may see a drop in productivity. Employees who feel valued and appreciated by their leaders, are more likely to go above and beyond for their company. Employees are any businesses greatest asset, if you look after your employees, they will look after your business. Everyone knows the key to successful business is happy and loyal customers, and they key to creating these customers are happy and dedicated employees.
Below are 10 points you should incorporate to your leadership strategy to make sure your employees are well looked after:
- Be honest and transparent with your employees
- Create opportunities and new experiences
- Make time for them
- Show interest in their personal lives
- Go above and beyond to personally help them
- Relate to them, don’t act like you’re above them.
- Little things do matter
- Invest in them, frequent training and proper resources
- Back staff up when it comes to customer disputes
- Make your expectations clear from the outset and be consistent
Business owners who spend time looking after their employees will begin to notice an increase in productivity, reduced absenteeism, and stronger applicants during the recruitment process. Staff retention rates will increase and over time you will find a reduction in operating costs. Your staff will be happier, creating a more relaxed welcoming environment, this has a run on effect to customers as well as new employees.
