Weather, Maps & Powerball: Better Business Culture

Business meeting in a conference room

Let’s be frank, the heading was chosen to optimize my search results in hopes to spread my love for helping companies get proper ROI on their employees. Please forgive me, as I am passionate about sharing my thoughts on culture and ways to engage your associates.

Gallup did a survey and found that 87% of millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities” as important to them in a job. It is one of many things that are important to them, but this is a top priority for job satisfaction & engagement. They also discovered that only 32% of employees in the United States are engaged at their job… These are statistics that should not be ignored, let’s discover how we can fit Weather, Maps and Powerball into this so it makes sense.

Weather

DailyPay explored retail turnover rates and it shows that retail companies have to weather a storm of turnover every year. 65% of hourly associates are turned over every year and it can cost 16% of their salary to replace them. At $10 per hour, it will take you around $3300 to replace that person. Numbers like these should merit more attention to who we hire and what we do to engage them in our organization. The turnover rate takes a significant dive when you get into higher levels of employment within a company. For example, a $40K manager will cost you 2X more than an hourly employee, while a $100K executive will cost you 30X more to replace!

Let’s take some things into Consideration when hiring:

  1. Goals & Objectives of the Employee
    • You need to know if this job is a hold over until the next thing comes up or if they’re genuinely interested in growing within your organization.
      • That is not what should determine who you hire, hiring should always be based on organizational goals
  2. Culture Fit
    • Don’t hire to fill a seat or because you have the budget, hire for your needs and be selective
      • Quick note: GGB had an opening for a year to expand their sales team, they choose me for a few reasons. Experience, entrepreneurial look on the business, education and most of all, I fit their CULTURE!
      • Do you know what your “Culture” is?
  3. Organizational Goals
    • Are you looking for leaders?
    • Are you looking for workers?
    • Do you promote from within?
      • Some of the basic questions you should ask yourself before hiring a candidate

That’s a good amount of information, now how do we use it?

Maps

This generation of workers are motivated by career advancement and opportunities, and are never satisfied. Therefore, companies are struggling to retain their top talent. Not sure where to start? Create a map of your organizational structure to clarify the different career paths the employee can take. In other words, show them the way and have a plan for them to obtain their ultimate goal. However, your organization may not support the employee’s final goal. Therefore it serves as a pivotal stepping stone in their career progression.

Now let’s put your Organizational Map to great use! An example would be to implement time frames for certain positions. For instance, they should spend 6 months in the position and list what they should have learned during that time. This gives the employee a clear path for their next step within a company while getting them engaged from the start. Remember, only 32% of employees in the US feel engaged with their job.

Not all workers will know what they want to do and your organization may not be a long term goal for them. However, you should have the legwork done to get them engaged and show them a path of opportunity & advancement. This simple exercise will increase engagement while showing career growth and development opportunities.

Thoughts to consider when creating your Organizational Map:

  1. Organizational Hierarchy
    • Is your management multi-tiered?
  2. Determine Various Levels of Employees
    • Job function and the importance to the business
  3. What Should You Learn at Each Level?
    • Merchandising
    • How to maintain stock levels
    • How to order OOS items
    • Merchandise markdowns
    • How to process RTV items
  4. Establish a minimum amount of time someone must stay in one area
    • Consider exceptions for promotions

Powerball

These 5 Powerball Points are ways to create engagement and employee satisfaction to help obtain a better ROI on your employees.

Have a Plan!
Use your Organizational Map to share the different career paths with your employees. Talk to them about their goals and ambitions and allow them to lead the conversation. You’ll be able to pick-up signals on what their desired trajectory is and it will be your responsibility to guide and coach them along the way.

Example:
Y
ou have an employee who just wants to learn the business but not necessarily take on a leadership role. As the backbone of your organization, don’t they deserve a plan and a path that will keep them engaged?

Recognition
This often gets lost in the continuously moving retail world. In other words, we either forget or are too focused on the opportunities and not the successes. A good leader should thank their employees for a job well done on a regular basis. However, there are instances where you should thank the employee in front of their peers. For example:

  • A Huge sales day
  • Having great inventory numbers
  • Excellent merchandising
  • Going above and beyond for a customer
  • Contributing new ideas

Learning Opportunities
Be prepared to offer your employees chances to hone in on their craft and please do not tell me “we have online training.” Everyone has online training! Be creative and actually teach your employees about retail. For example:

Conflict Resolution Classes

Merchandising 101
My favorite part of retail… When I worked for Sam’s Club & Walmart we built some awesome Cart Rail features (store entrances) as well as good looking pods and end caps. It’s a great feeling when you design something and it sells out because of placement and appearance!

Sales 101
How many times have you gone into a retail establishment and the person literally has NO CLUE?!?! Employees want to do well and be engaged. However, how can you expect them to be when they lack the tools of the trade?

Educated Employees = Higher Customer Satisfaction

Celebrate Success
Don’t be boring, bring some energy and life to celebrating accomplishments. Have a party, bring donuts to a morning meeting, have an ice cream social! My company, Gourmetgiftbaskets.com is awesome at this and makes it tough to diet!

Not sure what merits a celebration? Here are a few ideas:

  •  Monthly Birthday Party
  • Great Inventory Results
  • Surviving Q4
  • Work Anniversaries
  • Great Monthly or Quarterly Sales

T.B.W.A. – Teach By Walking Around
The last Powerball point might be the most important. A lot of retail leaders teach and ask things to get done via notes. You know what a note can’t do? Show the details about the task that you’re looking to accomplish. T.B.W.A. allows you to engage your employees, show them what your vision is and allow them to ask questions. Most importantly, it empowers your employees to be free thinkers.

Final Words of Wisdom

Thank the good, celebrate the great, and cherish the opportunities!

Let’s Connect

I would love to connect and talk about how we can help with your employee engagement. We have corporate programs for new hires, birthdays, and anniversaries. We work with clients on solutions that fit their intent and budget. To discuss further, call me: (603) 418-7575, email me: bmacarthur@gourmetgiftbaskets.com or book time on my Calendar!

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© Featured Photo by Kristian Sekulic, skynesher.com, Getty Images