Without a doubt, to have employee success, you must start with the basics. As an employer of more than 200, I can honestly say that I have been blessed. I learned many lessons in the trenches, working with the people. I am a strong supporter of education, seminars, mentoring and reading-being a lifelong student of life-but experience can be the best ally if its lessons are learned.
When someone asks, "How can I hire?" my reply usually is the same: I say the company
simply must have an enforced manual of policies and procedures.
I am amazed by how many owners and managers complain about everything from their
employees' attire to their eating in front of customers. If you don't let them know what you expect, how can they know? "Common sense" is not the same for everyone. When an employee knows the expectations, it's far easier for him or her to make an informed decision about whether to stay or go.
Also, your company must know and comply with all applicable local, state and federal
labor laws.
Employees should get breaks, overtime pay, pay for meetings and so on. If you fail to
practice lawful employment, you are betting your company. You should never gamble,
taking a chance by deviating from the standards that you set for all. We, as company
owners, need to respect the rules and standards that we create. We need to be the best
role models.
Another must-do is related to the jobs themselves: Develop job descriptions, put them in
writing and have measurements of performance and accountability.
As a rule, if it matters, you should write it down. I remember, early on, complaining about the way an employee was dusting the glass shelving. I was told to outline the task in writing, but I resisted. My initial thought was that I shouldn't have to do that. After explaining this task five or six times-each time I had a new employee-it became very clear that I was wrong about not wanting to put together a write-up.
Tom Peters coined a phrase that stuck with me early on: "If you can't measure it, you don't need it." This should be applied to employees, processes, products and ideas. To keep the company as a whole on the same track, you must create a mission that others
can embrace.
When employees are polled about what they want from a job, their top desire always is a feeling that their work makes a meaningful contribution. We work for a larger purpose.
At Peekay, we are privileged to create what we consider to be life-changing experiences for people, since sexuality has been so inhibited. To open these doors for customers is a great reward.
Fun is important, too: Embrace it. When other qualities fail, humor will serve you well. Smiles given come back tenfold.
Lastly, you should be able to answer a challenging question: "Why would anyone want to work here?" Take a moment to come up with definite reasons why people would want to work for your company.
These tips will go a long way toward helping your company succeed with today's labor
market. It truly is an employees' market and will remain so. Competition and opportunity
are the basic drivers of our economy. You might be asking, "Where are the good employees?" They're all working-if not for you, then maybe for your competition.
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the potential difficulties related to the biases regarding our industry. We all know there are plenty of preconceptions about the business. However, we should acknowledge them and not let them give us a reason to settle for less when it comes to hiring. Because of the prejudices toward the industry,
I always have said we have to be that much better.
Put your house in order. Adopt a set of "best practices" as your internal compass. Treat your employees as you would your No. 1 customer. Respect all, have accountability and have fun.
To attract the best, be the best.
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Phyllis Heppenstall is the founder of Peekay Inc.
