BENEFITS AND A CREATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF ATTRACTING AND RETAINING KEY EMPLOYEES
THROUGHOUT my many years in this industry, I have had the opportunity to work at many different companies, for many different supervisors. Some of them were very likable, some were just OK; some I respected very much, and some were downright mean. Working with many different personalities has given me a perspective on how different management styles or philosophies affect the people who work for that supervisor. The following is an example of this.
I was filling in for a manager at a store and was having a really busy day. You know the kind of day – phones ringing off the hook, body techs looking for supplemental paperwork, the wrong parts arriving for a vehicle that absolutely has to go that day and an insurance company re-inspector on site for three hours. Payroll is due by noon, and I hadn't even started it.
During the commotion, the facility owner strolls in wearing casual clothes, fresh from the golf course. The first thing he does upon entering the door is put his nose about an inch from mine and start screaming about the tool truck in the parking lot. He is turning blood red as he blathers on and on about the time his techs are wasting on that truck.
Once I regained my composure, I said to him as calmly as I could, "Bill, that truck could have been on fire in the showroom, and I wouldn't have seen it, nor would I have seen the techs on it. It's been a really crazy morning." All this statement did was anger him more, and he proceeded to yell louder, throwing in the occasional expletive.
At that moment, I mentally quit working for the day. I was so deflated, so angry, that I did nothing but go through the motions for the rest of the day. My morale, which is normally very high, sunk to the basement and stayed there for weeks. I didn't care if I captured a single job for quite a while, undoubtedly costing the shop thousands in potential sales.
At this same company, another manager had received similar treatment, and even had been promised a bonus after meeting specified goals, but he never received it. He told me how he deliberately swayed many customers from coming into the shop for repairs. He literally sent them to another shop, all because of a bad supervisor's very poor decisions.
These may seem like extreme examples, but they are real, and happen more often than most of us would ever think. We can see in these examples just how important employee morale is and how what should have been a great benefit or incentive, like a bonus, can adversely affect employee morale.
Obviously, the reverse is true as well.
I have always believed our most important assets are our employees. They are more important than our equipment, tools and buildings. Without great people on our team, we really have nothing. Therefore, if we have great people, it is important to maintain an atmosphere conducive to maximum performance: a rewarding environment with realistic rewards and good benefits that foster high morale.
Employee benefits are an important part of attracting these highly skilled personnel. Insurance, vacations, sick days, holiday pay and life insurance are all the standards, but keep in mind – benefits don't have to be traditional things like health insurance. Let's look at several really great ways to offer creative benefits that can help provide an environment conducive to high employee morale. I know several companies that offer very few benefits because of cost, yet they attract and retain employees. How? Benefits can encompass a huge arena outside of the norm.
Benefits outside the box
When we think of benefits, traditionally we think of vacations, health insurance, vision care, and prescription coverage. All of these are great to offer, but can become a huge expense that many employers are cutting from their budgets. What, then, can be offered as a benefit without costing tons of money? Let's look at a few that some of the more progressive and creative shops are offering.
1) Flex schedules. Working parents and two-income families have become the norm. For this reason, it is very difficult for many people to juggle school time, work start-stop time and recreation time. Consider allowing your employees to start later in the day, or stay later at night. Maybe entertain the possibility of leaving early on a certain day to coach baseball or gymnastics. With a little effort, most schedules can be modified so that the shop does not suffer, and the employees get valuable time to do what is important to them. If an employee has the ability to live a rich life outside of work, and you can help them do so, all involved will benefit immeasurably.
2) Gym memberships. Healthy employees have a better attitude and miss less work due to less illness. Consider, as a benefit, providing gym memberships for your employees. Compared to other benefits, gym memberships are very inexpensive and can help drive camaraderie and morale.
3) Company-paid cell phones. I have a cell phone plan that has unlimited everything for just about $150 per month. Many phones today are free. In my mind, $150 per month for a few key employees is reasonable for such a great benefit. If you put it in dollars, it's less than $1 an hour, for an average 40-hour week. If you gave someone a $1 an hour increase tomorrow, would they feel as good as they would if you offered them a company cell phone, with an unlimited plan, for free? I doubt it.
4) Laundry and dry cleaning services. This sounds kind of silly, but we have been, as an industry, offering this type of benefit to shop techs for years in the form of uniforms. Why not offer your frontline staff the benefit of having their shirts laundered professionally for free? Most dry cleaners will pick up and deliver for free, and will do shirts for a minimum cost. Again, an inexpensive but really helpful and timesaving benefit. No one likes to do laundry. Even if your employees bring in their own clothes to get picked up by the cleaner, it is a time saver for them.
5) Lunches and meal benefits. One particular shop owner I know buys lunch for his entire staff every day. This could become expensive, but if you partner with a local restaurant, you will be able to negotiate a great deal because of the volume. This is a pretty impactful benefit when added to a package of others. I buy lunch every day for my office staff and donuts every Monday for the entire crew. I know they look forward to it and really enjoy it.
These are just a few ideas. Do a little brainstorming, keeping in mind what you would want if you were the employee, instead of the employer. Get creative and build a list.
Obviously, you won't be able to implement them all. Instead pick out the best ones and begin with those. Monitor the response you get from your staff, ask for feedback and refine the list based on that input. By doing so, you should be able to build a very strong package. I don't want to diminish the value of the traditional benefits, but because they are so expensive, maybe you can offer fewer of the standards and a few more creative options and still put together a very attractive grouping.
Morale building
Employee morale is built on a platform of mutual trust, open communication and clear-cut guidelines for responsibilities and expectations. It is basic human nature to want to do what is expected of us, as long as the expectations are attainable. The fastest way to lower morale is to set unrealistic or unattainable goals for your people. If they know from the beginning of a task that they have no chance to meet the expectations set for them, they will be defeated before they begin. The goals you set will never get met – ever.
The key is to build a team that works together on a task to achieve the desired result. Think of a football team as an example. Winning teams operate as a team, working in unison toward a common goal. When individual team members lose sight of the team goal and only focus on their own needs, the entire team fails. The same holds true in our industry.
Allow your employees the freedom to talk to you about issues. Obviously, these conversations need to be respectful and professional, but letting everyone that works for you know that you are open to listening to issues will build a more trusting, open environment.
Make sure that each day, though all of us are busy, you can set aside some time for a little fun. Don't be so serious all the time. Have events that involve all the employees like a bowling night or a field trip to a sporting event or concert. Make it an annual event to go to the Nutcracker at Christmas time, for example. Have a company Super Bowl party. Again, get creative. Ask the employees what they would enjoy, and put together programs based on that input.
Let your employees know clearly what you expect of them, and reward them when they meet your expectations. You don't have to give out a bonus every time someone does a good job, but the recognition of the achievement with a simple "good job" pat on the back or thank you is very important.
It is just as important that bad behavior and mistakes are discussed, but with respect, and that suggestions for how to improve the next time are offered.
News can be delivered in many ways. Even corrective statements, delivered properly, will help maintain a high level of employee satisfaction. Remember, as a supervisor, you can only command respect, not demand it.
Keep your promises. If you offer bonuses for reaching a goal, and the goal is reached, give out the bonus. I worked for a dealer and a portion of my pay was based on the department profitability. It looked good on paper, but my department never made a profit. Consequently, I never got a bonus. One month, we had a really stellar sales volume. I was way over my goal number, and was sure I would finally get a bonus. When I got the P&L docs I was shocked to see we lost money again. As I read through, I discovered why. My department paid for the owner's new Mercedes-Benz and the first month's depreciation on it. Don't do this to your people if you want them to perform for you.
Let your people know that they are important and that they matter. Make your place of business more than just a job. Think about this: Every employee spends more time at work than he or she does at home with their family. Doesn't it make sense to make that time as pleasant as possible, within the general rules of common sense?
Obviously, the goal is not to create a country club atmosphere, but a fair and rewarding work environment for all involved. Do some research – ask other local businesses what they offer or read a few books. But do something. Your business will grow beyond your wildest dreams when all of your staff is working as a team.
