Shanu Singh Guliani

7 Tips to Keeping Great Employees
January 2, 2007

Retention of excellent employees is one of the most important challenges in businesses today. As a small business owner, you are aware that it’s harder than ever to find and keep good people. You also understand that your ability to retain quality workers is critical to the long-term health and success of your business. Luckily, there are countless ways to keep your prized employees happily on board. Here are some tips to help ensure that your company keeps the best of the best:

1. Pay them well. Probably the most obvious tip of all...you must offer your employees a competitive salary and honor their expertise and tenure with raises, bonuses, and other incentives, it doesn’t mean breaking the bank. Money isn’t the only reason people stay, but it does play a significant role in job satisfaction. Fair pay shows that you value them.
2. Encourage and support their ideas. A family-owned jewelry store tends to have tighter quarters than a chain store…your employees see almost everything. They understand the ins and outs of the business; therefore, some of the best ideas come from the employees themselves. Keep the lines of communication open by treating them as valuable team members.
3. Provide growth opportunities. Skill sets become outdated. There are only so many ways to sell a round, VS1, G-color, diamond. Allow your employees to take classes and attend trade shows in your area. Challenge them with new responsibilities that help them acquire new skills. For example, let your staff research and come up with at least three brands that are suitable for your store. Purchase one of those lines at the next trade show. They will have already acquired the knowledge needed to sell the line and you have helped them grow personally and professionally.
4. Promote teamwork. A family atmosphere dissuades staff from leaving. Treating them as partners and not hired hands instills a sense of loyalty and commitment to the store.
5. Be flexible. Show employees that you respect that they have a life by helping them to achieve a balance between their work life and personal life. You don’t have to rewrite company policy for outrageous demands but do allow them to attend their children’s activities or tend to sick relatives when necessary. In the end, results are all that matter—and people with the freedom to enjoy their lives come to work more energized and motivated.  
6. Nurture creativity. Employees need to enjoy the work they do, and you need to provide a creative and challenging work environment. Allow your staff to come up with their own ideas for promotions or events and give them permission to make the invites and set it up. Let a different staff member a week hold a sales meeting. Ask them to dig up ideas for commercials or TV ads. We all understand part of working at a jewelry store means setting up every morning, taking down every night, and selling all day. Utilizing only these skills can get monotonous and just plain boring. If you micromanage and stifle creativity, don’t expect to keep good people.
7. Recognize talents. Make an effort to spend time with hard-working employees. You can’t know everything that goes on, but have a good idea of who’s doing more than their share and who’s slacking off. Take him/her out to lunch on their day off or offer them a gift certificate for a massage.

Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on January 2, 2007 | Comments (0)