Quote Of The Week

“Top” management is supposed to be a tree full of owls-hooting when management heads into the wrong part of the forest. I’m still unpersuaded they even know where the forest is.”

-Robert Townsend

How Happy Is Your Team?

How Happy Are Your Employees? More Importantly Will The Good Ones Stay?

Working in retail it always seemed like there were the people who loved their job and the people who were there just to get a pay check. let’s face it retail is a thankless job; low pay, crazy hours, and customers aren’t always pleasant. When star employees pop up it seems like a blessing. Even with the tough times we are in managers got to remember that when consumer confidence returns  voluntary turnover rates increase. Retention of star employees are essential. There are several things that any manager can do to retain employees without spending anything.

1. Give Praise- Yes, it’s that simple. It’s often overlooked, but letting an employee know what they are doing well and how much they are valued goes a long way. Tie the praise to something that the employee did or something that they excelled at.

2. Build Skills- Standing behind a register all day or even doing the same job over and over can get boring. Often talking to an employee managers can find out what they are interested in or other areas in which they want to grow. Though teaching them new skills it is a way to keep employees engaged and interested in their work. It also great to have employees that are cross-trained in various areas in a store.

3. Communicate- In times of economic downturn fear runs high especially in retail. Keeping an open line of communication is important. Be honest, be open, but be truthful. Employees take their cues from management, but they can also tell when they are being lied to or aren’t getting the full truth.

Quote Of The Week

“The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.”

-Agha Hasan Abedi

Quote Of The Week

“Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.”

Donald Rumsfeld quotes (American Secretary of Defense)