An employee carousel serves no one: not the employer, who ends up in an endless loop of hiring and training, and not the customer, who never seems to see the same person twice and is frustrated by the inconsistency in quality. Worse still, employee carousels tend to suffer the most from no-shows, which leads to random days with understaffing and frantic calls to find fill-ins. And yet, restaurants and retail stores are often high turnover industries with these problems, which is ironic when you consider that customer service is as important to them as, if not more than, other industries.
The reasons for this carousel are manifold, but the shorthand is that these employees are often considered low-skill and are consequently undervalued. In many dining and retail environments, the qualification threshold is low, and so is the pay. Some employers even fear to hire overqualified candidates because they expect they’ll be gone the second the right opportunity appears. A short-timer syndrome for the employees combined with a general dissatisfaction with their compensation adds up to a negative atmosphere overall. Those employees don’t value their jobs and are themselves unvalued, which is why so many risk them by missing shifts, ignoring training, or moving on to other opportunities without hesitation.
However, this need not be the case. The wisest businesses recognize the high cost of continuously hiring and training, as well as the potential damage that under-trained and unhappy employees can do to their reputations. Indeed, there is an important counter-point to consider: a few reliable, well-trained employees with positive attitudes are far more valuable than several unreliable, poorly trained employees with negative attitudes. If that seems like a no-brainer, then you’re already ahead of the curve from the many disjointed businesses out there. You understand the value of quality over quantity.
But the philosophy of quality over quantity will result in initially more effort to hire, train, and keep your employees—which includes paying the kind of wages that will let them know they’re appreciated to discourage them from entering the carousel. But the long-term result is better when all this investment is made early—and, mercifully, not as often as the carousel demands.
When it’s time to start hiring, demand the best from your candidates. Any business needs employees who fit the culture, who aren’t going to clash with and cause grief to their co-workers. This means identifying people who seem interested in working for you long-term as well, which you’ll help guarantee with the right pay and benefits. And finally, your business must develop these employees as well—don’t fear that all this investment will be lost when they leave. Have faith that the measures you take will ensure that this day doesn’t come for a long, long time. Train those employees well, and never stop coaching them to be better.
In the end, individual employees will cost more than if you ran a turn-and-burn operation, but you’ll need fewer of them because they’ll stick around and be reliable. Given the positive work environment and the overall value of their positions at your business, you’ll find that fewer need to miss shifts that you have to scramble to cover.
Developing the right employee criteria and the strongest training regimen takes a lot of work. The Brandt Group specializes in helping other businesses create these processes, as well as test them rigorously to ensure your standards never slip. Contact us today to learn more. It’s time to get off the carousel.
Recent Comments