With the recession long ago and unemployment continuing to slowly decline, your green industry business faces a new problem - finding and retaining employees. I’ve heard from two customers in the last week who have said the same thing - our employees hold all the power.
That’s perhaps not the right way to look at it, but it’s true. Your employees do hold all the power. For example, most of our irrigation service customers had at least one additional technician this year. Which means technicians are in high demand.
So how do you find and retain your employees? Here are 7 tips:
Hire slow, fire fast.
This may seem counterintuitive, but if you want to find and retain great employees, you need to hire slow and fire fast. Take your time in the hiring process finding the right person. Interview, contact references and conduct a personality assessment. Then, give your new employee a 90-day grace period. If they don’t perform, get rid of them. It’s better to cut the cord immediately, than let a subpar employee bring the rest of your employees down.
Say thanks.
Nothing makes an employee feel better than a simple, heartfelt thank you. When your employees do a great job, thank them for it. Want a pro tip? If you use something like HindSite Connect Pro, our service business marketing add-on, you can get real-time feedback from your customers. Share that positive feedback with your team and thank your employee each time a customer lauds them.
Empower your employees.
You know what great employees like? Being empowered to do what they think is best. Nobody likes to be micromanaged. So don’t do it. If you empower your employees to do their job, they’ll do a better job.
How do you empower them? Make sure they care about what you care about. If you’re like the green industry businesses I know, you care about your customers. They’re the ones that keep you in business. So make sure your workers care about your customers, too. If they do, they’ll do the right thing 99 times out of 100.
Another great way to empower employees is to tell them how they’re going to be measured, and then measure them. For example, if you have a lawn care business, tell your employees how long you expect each property to take. Then measure how long they take and thank them when they meet their goals.
Differentiate yourself with technology.
You know what field employees hate? Paperwork. It’s why they want to work in the field. They hate being cooped up in an office pushing paper.
So don’t make them do it. Especially if you’re hiring young employees, use technology to differentiate your business from competitors. Invest in mobile field service software that enables your teams to time in and out in the field, instead of writing everything down on a piece of paper. Not only do you improve your efficiency, but you can attract and retain tech-savvy employees, too.
Walk the walk.
In the past, I worked with a particular manager who “delegated” tasks that he didn’t want to do. They weren’t fun tasks, and his team soon began to resent him. Not only did they have to do their jobs, but they also had to do the jobs he didn’t want to do.
If there’s something you won’t do, don’t make your employees do it. Nothing angers employees more than a boss that makes them do the things he doesn’t want to do.
Be honest.
Nothing turns off an employee more than a leader who lies. Even if the truth hurts, you need to speak it. If you don’t, you run the risk of alienating employees.
Your communication needs to be direct. Tell your employees when they do a good job and when they do a poor job. Be honest with them about the state of the company and their expectations. They may not always like what you have to say, but if you’re honest in your dealings with them, they’ll learn to trust what you say.
Listen.
The best thing a leader can do is listen. Have an open door policy and listen to your employees. If you’ve got great employees, they may tell you things you don’t want to hear, but need to hear. Listen to them.
In fact, take it a step further. Many companies conduct annual employee satisfaction surveys. These anonymous surveys can help you better understand the issues your employees face. If you do choose to conduct a survey, make sure you communicate the results and your plan to your employees so they know it isn’t a waste of time.
Now that you know how to retain employees, how about some pointers on how to hire great ones? You’re in luck! Download our free eBook, How to Hire the Best Employees for Your Green Industry Business.
