As a kitchen and bath or remodeling business owner you want to believe that your employees give you nothing but honest communication. If you asked them something they’d answer truthfully, right? Even your best, most loyal employees have certain thoughts on occasion that they won’t share. Some of those thoughts are:
They’re not paid enough
When you hired them, you negotiated a fair salary and benefits that matched their skill set and it was a fair market value, but times change. Think about your most loyal employees. Have they gained more skills over time? Has the market changed in the years they’ve been there?
If you know that it would cost you an extra arm and a leg to replace someone, then you’re probably under paying them. Giving annual evaluations to employees helps everyone stay on the same page and keeps them happy.
Their ideas are ignored
It’s easy to think you know everything, but your employees know the business, too – and they can make valuable contributions if you would seriously listen to their ideas. You may think you’re listening, but how many employee ideas have you implemented lately?
Make a commitment to really listen to your employees. If they have an idea, tell them to run an ROI study and report back. If they report back positively and you feel good about the idea, try implementing it. It might be a boon to business.
They’re the only hard workers
People that exhibit inappropriate behavior or are incompetent at their jobs will really wear on your valuable employees. One bad seed can sour the whole bunch, and if you are oblivious to this it can be detrimental.
Get to know your employees and make sure your managers are reporting any issues to you as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to fire someone who is bringing down the productivity of everyone else.
They’re sick of an overbearing client
Every business has one or two clients who always demand more attention and effort for no extra money. They push on every boundary trying to get things their way, and your employees are negatively affected by this. This resource-sucking client can bring down employee morale.
Ask your employees what clients (or type of clients) they enjoy and which ones they don’t. If a client is a constant pest to your employees and isn’t critical to your business, don’t be afraid to let them go. Review your business processes too; you may find that there are grey areas to adjust, which cause problems between clients and employees.
Stay tuned for part 2, to go deeper into the minds of your employees.