JENI ALEXANDER: Staff need more than a good wage to feel valued
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Sharon Leon managing director, Jeni Alexander, explains why you should value your staff and how to do so…
They say that staff don’t leave because of the job, but they leave due to bad management. I’m sure there are other reasons as to why people leave work, but you can never underestimate the power that management has on people. I am not saying that I am the perfect boss, but over the years there are a few simple lessons that I have learned to retain staff and keep them happy, and they are rather simple: show, tell, listen and share…
Show them you care…
Showing your staff that you care is not only paying their wages, but it is showing them appreciation in a variety of other ways. Staff who feel valued are much more likely to bring the best of themselves to work. Giving them a gift on their birthday, throwing a Christmas party, or providing them with some extra benefits like gym memberships or employee assistance programmes is a great way of showing them that you care. When you invest in your staff, they will invest in you. I know that for us, being able to treat them to a party or show them that we are thinking about them goes a long way in how they see us as an employer.
Tell them when they do something well…
It is quite simple but words of kindness go a long way. Sometimes after a long day, or a busy week, staff just need a simple “well done” or a “thank you” to know that their hard work is appreciated. Tell them when they’ve done something right, or if they have received good feedback from a customer. All too often we tell people when they need to improve on something, or we talk about when things haven’t gone well. Change that. Tell your staff about what they’ve done right rather than what they’ve done wrong. They will then have more confidence to do their job, and they will know that you value them.
Listen to them…
As the director of the company, I’m not often out at people’s houses, and the staff see and hear more from customers than I do. They are the ears on the ground, and they are the ones who notice when we may need to change the way we do something. It is important that I listen to them and take on what they say. The same goes for in the shop or for the processes we have. My staff know what they are doing, and they can often think outside of the box, and come up with a better way of doing something. But I need to be open to that – I need to listen to what they say and ensure that they feel heard.
Share the knowledge…
We have a lot of staff that have been with us for a long time, so one of our challenges now, is trying to ensure that all their knowledge is passed onto the younger generation. Being able create a space for learning and encouraging staff to share their knowledge with one another is so important. That is how we equip one another and that is how a business continues to operate. If the knowledge sharing stops, then after a while the business will stop too. Cultivating a comfortable culture where people can continue to learn is so important for them and for your business.
Being a good manager, and valuing staff isn’t rocket science – it’s pretty simple.
Your staff are going to keep your business running whether you’re there or not…make sure that you don’t take them for granted and you will see them care for your business the way that you do.
