Last month, we talked about how to solicit good talent and making the most of the interview process. This month, I want to dive a little deeper into creating winning staff relationships.
Don’t think of providing them with a job as a favor to your staff; think of the exchange between the two of you and care about both sides.
Recently, while attending a tanning industry event, another salon owner asked me how my partner and I have such friendly relationships with our staff. We had to look at each other and think about it for a minute, because we don’t even realize it any longer. Many owners and managers build a barrier between themselves and their staff. I understand the theory for this; but, I think there’s a better way to go when it comes to employing Millennials. Hence, this month’s topic: creating value for your team.
The Millennial staff member is looking for much more than a paycheck. This is why so many salons are struggling with “they don’t work,” “they aren’t happy,” or “they don’t stay.” The generation of people most salon operators are employing happens to care about much more than their paycheck. In fact, money isn’t their primary motivation. They are motivated first by the experience of working for your company.
As a start in creating value in employment for your team, remember, their employment is a business transaction. Just as you are compensating them for their time, they are choosing to sell you their time – they could choose to sell it elsewhere. In the same way that merchants get to choose who they sell to, so do your employees. Don’t think of providing them with a job as a favor to them; think of the exchange between the two of you and care about both sides.
Give them a chance to grow and improve. Very few people are happy at a dead-end job where minimum wage is the best they can get. Give them a chance to grow in responsibility, and also to advance in compensation. Speaking specifically about giving them a valuable experience, one that allows them to stretch themselves and be challenged and rewarded is very valuable.
Remember, you are dealing with people, not property. Our friendly relationships with our staff come from us valuing them as people and individuals. Are they our closest friends? No. Do we care about them and what’s going on in their lives outside of work? Absolutely. This care creates loyalty in our teams, and a better environment for us, as well.
Join us in April for Part 2: discussing rules for employee relations.
