Employees who feel valued and appreciated are far more likely to go above and beyond for you. They will also be happier with more enthusiasm, which can positively impact your business culture.
If you ignore the importance of connecting and caring about your employees, while maintaining authority, you risk losing the benefits of a motivated and dedicated long-term staff.
Some employers may find it difficult to connect with employees and others may intentionally prefer to keep an objective distance. Perhaps this makes it emotionally easier to see people leave or to fire people, but it will also negatively impact your bottom line.
Following are 10 simple ways to show your employees that you care.
1. Greet them everyday. Say “thank you” when they leave for the day.
2. Within reason, go above and beyond to personally help them.
3. Compensate thru wages and benefits as aggressively as possible.
4. Learn about their personal life and significant others.
5. Back them up if a client or customer treats them poorly.
6. Offer perks, events, give-a-ways and contests.
7. Provide real and honest feedback in positive and constructive ways.
8. Listen and make time for them.
9. Do little things such as:
- Write a thank you letter or encouraging email
- Provide free turkeys at Thanksgiving
- Give gift cards tickets to events
- Send birthday and holiday cards
- Hold some company events (e.g. holiday party, company picnic, etc)
- Provide free or “at cost” meals and beverages to working employees
- Offer a friends and family discount program
10. Provide opportunities to learn. Encourage and assist with continuing education seminars. Before employees will care about you, your business, and its success, they need to believe you care about them as a person- not just a worker to execute your to-do list. If you want to bring out the best in your team, consistently show your team how much you value them.
For more tips and strategies on hiring and retention best practices in the foodservice and catering industry, please visit our website at www.thecorporatecaterer.com. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].
Mike Rosman will be teaching a half-day session on QSR/Drop Off Corporate Catering. Click here for more information.
