5 Ways To Build A Better Staff
Posted by Debra Neville
by Bob Furlong, Problem Solver
The biggest complaint a retail manager or store owner has is "It's so hard to get good people." Like everything else, buying goods, marketing your business, dealing with real estate costs and hiring and developing staff is a process. Not surprisingly, just when you think you have the perfect staff something happens and you need to hire, fire or or rethink your choices.
Here are 5 sure-fire ways to have the staff that you have always wanted:
Never stop hiring
Always be ready to hire a great candidate, even if you do not have a position open. A great employee is not just an expense to your company but will actually create revenue.
Be prepared to fire
No one wants to fire an employee. When the situation dictates, however, you have to be prepared to let a team member go. Make sure that you have an employee handbook, specific rules involving employee conduct as well as EPLI (insurance protecting against wrongful termination). Strangely, once you are prepared to fire troubled employees, you will have less troubled employees.
Always upgrade
Read books related to great HR techniques, take notes and implement change over time. When something works, keep it. When it does not, try something new. Challenge your team to do their best and they will often surprise you.
Don't motivate with money...but
Money will not make a bad employee stellar, but significantly underpaying your employees will give you trouble. If you are stingy you leave yourself wide open for someone pillaging your best employees.
Promote from within...and
Opportunity for promotion is one of the best reasons that an employee will stay working for you and will ignore outside recruitment. Promotion from within is a great idea when it works. Often, however, a staff member is not appropriate to fill a vacant position. Do not promote your employee out of a sense of loyalty but instead recruit the right candidate from outside your company.
Having a great team will allow you to grow your business and will in turn
allow you take care of your great people.
____________________________________________________________________
Bob Furlong is a Consultant specializing in Family Business, HR Development as well as Lease Negotiation. Bob grew up in his family's business, an upscale urban gift store, eventually becoming president and expanding to multiple locations. Bob is now utilizing his years of experience to assist other business owners to grow, protect and preserve their entrepreneurial enterprises.
Bob can be reached at:
Email: bobfurlong@me.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobfurlong
617-818-2001
