[ employee relations ]
continued from page 36
is a great way to keep up morale and say thanks.
Also, don’t forget to remember birthdays and
anniversaries. Celebrate each of them with a small
party (that includes cake!), and not only will your
employees appreciate the recognition, but you’ll
also provide a great opportunity for everyone to get
together and have an enjoyable time at work.
“Your
employees
want to do a
great job for
you. They
want you
to care. So
show that
you do. It’s
that simple.”
Award them.
4
You might want a better system than the
embarrassing “Dundies” on the hit show The
Office, but coming up with a way to award great
work at your spa is a fun way to show your employees that you value their effort. Whether it’s a
simple blue ribbon or a framed certificate, present
the award in front of your entire staff and tell
them exactly why you are presenting it.
you won’t be very significant, and their improved
health will help you save on health insurance and
paid sick days.
Write them a thank-you note.
5
Taking the time to write a short thank-you note to a hard-working employee is always
well worth it. Let the note be a nice surprise for
them by putting it in their mailbox at work or by
mailing it to their home. And make it specific—
“Thank you for staying late last Thursday to treat
that last-minute client” is a lot more powerful
than a vague “Thanks for all your hard work!”
Help them improve themselves.
6
Your employees appreciate it when you are
willing to invest in their futures and help them
widen their career horizons. You can do this by
paying for them to attend a class at a local community college or a seminar that interests them.
Let your employees decide whether the classes
are work-related or not. If they are, great! You’ve
paid for them to learn skills that will help them
do their jobs better. If they aren’t, that’s great
too, because you’ve likely helped them build on
areas that will make them feel better about themselves, thus making them happier employees.
Ask them what they’d like to
8
improve about the business.
One employee might suggest updated equipment
or an interesting product line, while another
might suggest a unique sales promotion. Either
way, they will be changes that will help them
do their jobs better. It will make them feel like
they have some ownership in your spa. Plus, it
can be hard for employees to leave when they
feel that they have helped build your company
into the great business it is. But remember, once
you’ve asked your employees what they’d like to
change, there’s no turning back. You must take
their suggestions seriously and show them you
value their opinions by acting on some of them
as quickly as possible.
While times are tough now, they will eventually improve. When all of this is over, you don’t
want your staff members looking back and thinking, “Man, I really worked hard for you when you
needed me, and you never said thank you.” Your
employees want to do a great job for you. They
want you to care. So show that you do. It’s that
simple.—Ed Hess and Charlie Goetz
Help them get healthy.
7
Providing your employees with a gym
membership can have multiple benefits. First of
all, it’s another great way for you to say thanks and
help them improve their lives. You can probably
get a group deal at your local gym so the cost to
Ed Hess is a professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the
Darden School of Business at the University of
Virginia where he teaches courses on building
small businesses and organic growth. Charlie
Goetz is a successful entrepreneur who has built
several profitable businesses. Together, they
wrote the recently released, So, You Want to
Start a Business? 8 Steps to Take Before Making
the Leap (F T Press, September 2008).
