When you hire people to work at your store, you’re giving them a job, sure, but it’s much more than that. You’re giving them a training ground to develop skills, earn income, build a resume, and change the trajectory of their life.
One thing many people don’t consider, though, is what they can do to be helpful and supportive to those employees. Fortunately, though, there are a lot of small (and big!) ways you can provide employees support, and that makes for happier employees and a more successful business.
Here are five ways to support your store employees.
1. Give Recognition and Rewards
One of the best ways to provide support to store employees is to give recognition and rewards. This can be done through verbal recognition, meaningful rewards, and tangible recognition. Verbal recognition could be something like telling an employee how proud you are of their hard work or submitting an employee to commendation in front of their colleagues.
Meaningful rewards could include awarding an employee for a job well done or giving them something they can take home, such as a gift card to show your appreciation.
2. Be Flexible With Hours/Workplaces
Managers should recognize the importance of work/life balance and offer employees different options to be able to work around their personal schedules. This is especially important for those working in retail stores.
Flexible hours can help retain more experienced employees and attract new ones. Employers should consider offering shift-swaps, split-shifts, part-time hours, and telecommuting. Additionally, employees should have the ability to switch shifts or take spontaneous vacations.
3. Honest Communication
Honest communication is an important part of any customer-employee relationship. Store employees need to know that their customers value honesty and integrity in order to develop an effective working relationship.
To best support store employees’ honesty communication, customers should be open to discussing their needs and wants in a respectful manner. Customers and store employees should also respect each other’s time and ask questions to better understand the other’s position. This allows store employees to provide accurate, honest information that is in the customer’s best interests.
4. Encourage Mentoring and Coaching
Mentoring and coaching are great ways to support store employees. By mentoring, experienced and knowledgeable store employees can impart their wisdom and knowledge to those who have less experience.
This can help build trusting relationships between coworkers, foster an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork, and provide a sense of support that new employees may otherwise not have. Mentoring can also help to improve overall job satisfaction. Coaching also provides supportive guidance, which can be beneficial for both experienced and new employees.
5. Great Health Insurance Package
Employees need to know that their physical and mental health needs are being taken care of. Benefits like covering medical expenses, mental health services, and other areas of health-related needs should always be included.
Offering a health savings account to cover medical co-pays could be considered. It is also important to identify any gaps in coverage and make sure that they are addressed and fixed. As a store owner, setting up a meeting with an employee to review their coverage and explain the financial responsibility might be beneficial. Check this health insurance broker Dallas to get the best deals!
Supporting Store Employee the Right Way
We must show our support to retail store employee by being patient, positive, and understanding during this trying time. Do your part to appreciate employees and stay safe by following store protocols, using contactless payment, and wearing a mask.
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