Every smart business owner knows that the people working alongside you – those folks who are grinding it out day after day, year after year to fulfill your vision – are your company’s lifeblood. In fact, the employees at PFSbrands are so important to us that we wrote them into the first part of our mission statement: We exist to empower our employees and allow them the opportunity to build their futures…
Yet so many businesses out there fail to invest in their employees’ happiness and success. In the end, the company loses more than profits…they lose talent. So how do you get employees to want to stay?
Here are four ways I’ve found will ensure your team will fall in love with their job:
1. Have Fun at Work
Whoever said work was not supposed to be fun? It’s common knowledge that people generally spend more hours working than doing anything else. Since we all spend so much time working, why not find something that you truly enjoy doing and make it a priority to ensure you have fun… and those who work around you have fun? For me, the best sign of this is seeing people laughing, joking around, and developing true friendships with people they work with.
2.Coach Them Up
We usually hire individuals with a skillset that enables them to scale with us. However, occasionally we still have individuals that are challenged to “make the leap.” We work diligently with these individuals to find them a role on our team in which they can excel. To live up to our mission statement, we provide them every opportunity and every tool we can to help them adapt. We do everything possible to “coach them up.” We not only hire, we develop people.
3. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Take a step backward and ponder for a moment the most successful people you know. I guarantee you that all of these people carry a positive attitude, always remain optimistic, and have a never-quit personality. Who wants to work in an environment of doom and gloom? The world can be dark enough as it is, so keep the workplace upbeat.
4. Show Appreciation
When we onboard someone, we want to make sure they have a great experience. They are welcomed by dozens of emails from their team members before even stepping foot in our office on their first day. Then just like a new player stepping out on the court for a basketball game, a group of team members, anywhere from 25 to 40 people, gather to welcome the individual with a high-five as they pass down the hall.
When people ask me how I’ve been able to grow PFSbrands so consistently over time, I always reply with, “We have awesome people.” By taking care of our employees first, we believe our employees will be better prepared and far more motivated to take care of our customers.