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What Are Best Employee Retention Ways For Food Service Business?
I believe in cultivating a work culture that will help my employees not only grow skill wise. What are some good strategies that will help me retain them?
Greg Rogers, Founder and CEO at REthink HQ
Hi Nathan,
Ask them, have a conversation with them!
It will be as different and as individual as they are.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you can apply a blanket approach. People and their behaviour are reinforced and rewarded in different ways, at different times, in different environments.
Behaviour can be shaped, predicted, reinforced, punished and most important measured.
How often do we start a conversation with...you always...everytime....you never....
Get baseline, behaviour and then measure.
To get more of the behaviour you want or want more of, reinforce through reward (actually has to be though). If you do this well you will find the behaviours you don't want or want less of start to go diminish and go way.
The absolute correct answer to your question is right there...right there... with that employee and that employee and that employee.....
Cheers
Greg
Greg Rogers, Founder and CEO at REthink HQ
Hi Nathan,
Ask them, have a conversation with them!
It will be as different and as individual as they are.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you can apply a blanket approach. People and their behaviour are reinforced and rewarded in different ways, at different times, in different environments.
Behaviour can be shaped, predicted, reinforced, punished and most important measured.
How often do we start a conversation with...you always...everytime....you never....
Get baseline, behaviour and then measure.
To get more of the behaviour you want or want more of, reinforce through reward (actually has to be though). If you do this well you will find the behaviours you don't want or want less of start to go diminish and go way.
The absolute correct answer to your question is right there...right there... with that employee and that employee and that employee.....
Cheers
Greg
If your staff use their own equipment for work, how do you protect those devices?
What steps have you, or do you plan to take regarding the above?
Tas Gray, Managing Director at Axiom IT
Jef Lippiatt, Owner at Startup Chucktown
From a less technical perspective you should at the minimum have anti-virus software running on their local machines. You should also consider having a VPN (private network) for them to login to do work functions if you and/or your staff are working on items that could be considered "sensitive". Also, hard-drive disk encryption has become pretty common. This helps protect from threats of items are lost or stolen. And as always tell them to a secure password and have a standard in place to enforce such a policy like password:
- Must be at least 8 Characters long
- Must have upper and lower case numbers
- Must have at least 1 number
- Must not be the same as your username
Stuff like that will definitely help.
Steven Freeman, Owner at Evolved Sound
Have used a few but only in extreme situations when we have exercised all efforts and the situation has blown out. By then they have a hard case, so it is difficult to know whether its them or the case which is making their service questionable.
Melanie Gray, Managing Owner at MyCL (My Computer Lab)
Hi Danielle, try the CollectMore app. It's free and the person who created it, Paul Metcalf, is very helpful. I'd email him for advice if the app doesn't work for you. Good luck!
Brad Lyons, Consultant at SMS Fusion
KPI's, targets, training and development are always a good start.
A lot of people don't want a normal 9-5 job and lets be honest you don't want your employees to have the 9-5 mentality either.
People are motivated by different things and it is important to keep that in mind when look at rewards programs. Sometimes cash bonuses get a little boring and predictable so change it up a little. Ask your employees what they want.
KPI's should always be setup with the companies goals in mind. If employees are achieving targets based on KPI's then your company is achieving it's goals and your employees are achieving their targets resulting in rewards.
For some employees they want to know they have a future in the company. They want something to work towards. By providing training they have the ability to learn new areas of the company and it could help them find something they are passionate about.
Part of your KPI's could include training, this means in order for an employee to make their monthly target they must also complete 1 training program you have. This could be a short only training course you have setup. It could be based on industry legislation, compliance issues or career development.
This not only ensures your employees are up to date with current legislation increasing your compliance, it also gives them the opportunity to improve themselves.
If your employee thinks they are going to be stuck behind the same desk for the rest of lives what motivation could they possibly have to be energetic and creative?
Rewards can be in the form of training and giving them more responsibility. That not only helps you out it can also really motivate them.
Oh, and one thing I would like to point out.
Don't ever hold a company meeting to tell everyone how they made you so much money for the month unless you are also giving them a reward.
I remember when I was a teenager working in a factory. The owner gathered all the employees in the workshop and said.
"I would just like to congratulate you on making an extra effort this month. This month has been the most productive in a long time and as a result we have made a lot of money. Thank you for doing the extra over time (unpaid) and working faster".
Needless to say as soon as he walked back into the office all the workers were saying:
"Sure George, it is always a pleasure to break our backs to make you more money".
and
"Thanks for the motivation jerk, wont happen again".
The owner pushed us harder for the month saying we had fallen behind. However it was leaked he was just trying to see how much he could push us to increase productivity. Forcing people to do unpaid overtime is not the best option. Then rubbing it their faces afterwards really had an impact. A lot of people quit the following month.
Mitch Rays, at Soulutions
Attracting the best people to your business first of all must come from the business owner. Deciding what you want to achieve and where the future of your business is leading is the first smart step to attracting and keeping valuable employees who can then come in line with your vision. The best way to attract your perfect employee is to create the perfect environment for this employee to thrive.
By looking at the environment from an external point of view allows you to customize the position within this environment. By using nature for example. If you are looking at attracting a rare Ulysses butterfly to your garden you would plant a Ulysses attracting tree hence creating a habitat to thrive, the same for the office. If you want to attract a certain worker who displays an energetic and visionary outlook you create a position which allows for this development, you give this employee the opportunities to display and thrive and the infrastructure to accommodate this employee.
Another valuable tool of attracting and keeping a great employee is through demonstrating great leadership by allowing positive communication which is reciprocated to your employee through rapport and leading by example. This in turn allows the maintenance for the positive energy and diverse creativity. Having open channels of communication and an attractive thriving environment allows those that you have attracted to help shape and inspire the evolution of your business along with their own personal development.
Environment + Happy Employee = Energetic Improvement
What are some tips on building a mobile app?
I am looking at venturing into the world of mobile apps just wondering if anyone has any ideas, tips that they can share.
Shoaib Khanzada, Director at Ingress Solutions
Hi Linda,
Good to see your message, I have joined SavvySME today and I have 12 years programming experience and certified mobile application developer. I also run an offshore software development company and we do both web and mobile application development, with my local presence in Sydney, I can certainly help you to "transform your ideas into working solutions" and provide you very valuable suggestions on the product you are looking to develop in near future.
Feel free, to reach me at shoaib@gmail.com for further discussion.
Thanks,
Shoaib
Gregory Ferrett, Editor at Monday Motivational Moment
Yes - done with the University of Ballarat and launched yesterday. here is the link - https://play.google.com/store - and then search for 'Sales Analyzer' (yes - with a Z). Many if the University and TAFE schools are looking for projects for their students. The coast is low (usually zero - just your time) but the development time is long - usually a full term or semester as the app is their assignment.
Greg
James Huy Vuong, Owner at Your Accounting Partners
if you are using chrome - https://www.wevideo.com/ is simple enough if you are wanting to make your own.
Huy.
Tanya Williams, Owner at Digital Conversations
Video is a great promotion tool. As previously suggested start with what your goals are for the video? What outcomes do you want? How long should it be for your unique audience?
I personally would not use Fiverr for this. It always costs more than you think for video, whiteboard and explainer content - so beware. You can create video very easily using your iphone or a live streaming platfform like Blab (which will record and send you the link), adding a professional top & tail using Google Editor then uploading to You Tube or Vimeo to host (depending on your goals). Or you can also try live streaming video platforms (again, depends on your goals). Be aware of lighting, sound and scripting. Plus I suggest using a Teleprompter app for recording (best $15 you will ever spend)
You can have a look at my video channel for more tips and how to's
https://www.youtube.com/user/digitalconversation1
Hope that helps, Have fun!
Tanya
Do I need to register for GST?
I'm starting a new business. As I'm unsure how much I will make, should I still register for GST?
Daniel Spark, Director
If you are starting a new business and expect to turnover less than $75,000 AUD (unless you provide taxi travel for passengers in exchange for a fare) registering for GST is optional. However, the ATO only gives you 21 days from the time you are aware that you will turnover more than the threshold to register for GST and they advise you to check monthly to ensure you are aware when you meet the threshold.If you do not register for GST then you also do not charge GST to your customers and you will not be able to claim GST credits on your purchases. There are also special requirements in regards to invoices and tax invoices that you need to follow depending on what you choose to do.You can find great information on GST at the Governments Business website, including some examples:https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/tax/register-for-goods-and-services-tax-gstThe ATO has also recently started a community forum, where you can get official answers from the ATO if you need more help:https://community.ato.gov.au/You may want to consult an Accountant for their professional perspective. The answer to your question will greatly depend on your expected turnover.I personally, depending on the venture would not register for GST until I gain moment with sales. Everything going well you will turn over more than $75,000 and be required to register.
Will this approach be considered SPAM?
A client wants to send an EDM (split according to location) to several thousand public servants inviting them to click on a link that takes them to a sales page. All these addresses have been collected manually, i.e. no address-harvesting software has been employed. This can be substantiated. My concern is over whether the message will be considered SPAM and the subsequent fallout and damage to my client’s reputation should they commit an offence by contacting these people. Based on the ACMA guidelines pertaining to email messages – in particular Schedule 2 Consent 4. Conspicuous publication – how should we proceed, assuming the message complies with all other Designated Commercial Message conditions. What is your opinion regarding the link between each recipient's job and the message content? What tests would we need to do to show this?
Rebecca Carroll-Bell, Owner at RCB Mediation Services
Hi Steve,
Further to my comments above, an article came upon Flying Solo that may assist:
Sending emails: are you breaking the law?
Cheers,
Bec CB
Jef Lippiatt, Owner at Startup Chucktown
I'm not a lawyer, but I would err on the side of caution. If the users did not explicitly sign up for receiving updates, newsletters or promotions it potentially could be seen as spam. It may not be seen as SPAM holistically by every person that receives the message (some may find it useful), but if enough people are unhappy about it watch out.
I will say that is not always the case, but specifically if the goal is to sell something you may have less leverage. I have received several emails over the last 2 years that were things I did not sign up for, however, my email address was pulled from a public resource (Github) but the message was about conducting research for higher education purposes by students and/or faculty.
I suppose I could have seen that email as SPAM, but the email was polite and transparent about several things.
- WHERE - they mentioned where they found my email address
- WHY - they made it clear that participation was optional but helpful (for a survey)
- HOW - they let me know how the information I entered in the survey would be used
- WHEN - they let me know that when all the surveys were complete the results would be shared with me
Keep in mind one other thing, they also personalized the email that I received. It did not appear to have been a message that was sent to multiple (or hundreds) of people. My name was specifically used in the email. It is possible it was done through an email marketing provider (such as MailChimp) however, I saw no indication of 3rd party branding on the message.
I would still say if you proceed, do so with caution. Perhaps if you are dead set on going down the path you mentioned, try sending the communication to only a handful of people first (such as 10 to 30 people). See what types of responses you are getting back (if any) or if it improves click through rate or sales.
I would say you should still seek advice from an attorney before moving forward.
Are the intended recipients all in one state or are they all over Australia/the world?
How has your client collected the email addresses?
What is the overall purpose they are trying to achieve?
Personally, if I have no connection to the sender and it is obvious they have simply copied and pasted my email address from a publication of mine, I delete the message and often block the sender without giving the text more than a cursory glance.
Is there not a better way to get in touch with the desired target audience? Perhaps approach the relevant union or the department's social club? When I worked as a public servant our social clubs secured all sorts of deal for us form cheap movie tickets to discounted entry to the International Flower & Garden Show.
How To Deal With An Employee Who Is Bullying Another Employee?
I have two women on my team and I have noticed consistent aggression from one of the employees towards another.
I am aware the woman who is doing the bullying behavior is somewhat jealous of the job position of the other position (one is admin, the other a marketing position), but giving her any additional responsibility has made her manipulative.
Both women are good workers and each is creating stellar work.
Their behavior is reflecting badly on me, but I know dismissing one of them would create worse problems for me.
The bully's work may be stellar, but she will damage the whole team beyond her own results. As the matrix of the bully is complex, the re-alignment may be the job for a professional. If you have access to a troubleshooter in your organization, seek their help, or escalate as soon as possible to your superior, ready to accept that the best long term solution may be relocating the bully within the organization, or dismissing her.
Understanding the dynamics of bully-victim is more esoteric than it seems. The changes have to occur simultaneously in the two individuals, and in the WHOLE TEAM. A set of complex self and projected judgments are woven at a subconscious level. The bully-victim duality asks a question which has profound implication: If the answer remains hidden, it will manifest again as a variant, much like a nightmare.
In most cases, the attachment to the reward of the work performance, prevents management from seeing the devastation caused by a bully: This is the second layer of forceful manipulation. The third layer is stepping on management itself by controlling how the team reacts to what they see happening. Ultimately, this ego is likely to undermine everyone in some way.
Jef Lippiatt, Owner at Startup Chucktown
Sarah,
That definitely sounds like a powder keg situation is brewing. I would first make them aware that you are happy with the work both are doing individually. I would then ask them individually if there is anything about their particular job that is frustrating them, or if they are more passionate about another type of work. If there is opportunity, I would then give them a test project to see how they fair (or perhaps better yet, have one mentor the other in case out on leave or an emergency comes up).
See if there is a way for the two to work together while highlighting that a positive outcome is necessary for the overall success of the company. Look for giving mentoring and training opportunities as situations arise. Also, see if there is a desired career path and let them know if moving up (or over to a different role) is a possibility in the short or long term.
Let them know you hear them both, and let them see you taking action (even small steps) to alleviate the disagreements and discord.
Jacqui Pryor, Director at Mark My Words Trademark Services Pty Ltd
I would suggest the very first legal 'issue' to consider is the actual structure of your new business. Changing structures down the track can be tricky and costly so best to get it right at the start! Usually an accountant or solicitor can help determine the best structure for you and ensure personal assets etc are protected.
Once you've determined the right structure - ensuring you are registered properly, have the right permits/licenses and insurances in place is crucial. The Australian government has a business license information service (BLIS) available, where you can search in your state by your business type to determine any permits or registrations you will need and requirements you need to meet.
Other legal issues to be considered during start up phase could include:
- Rental/lease agreements;
- Contracts with suppliers (for example, graphic designers, website designers, manufacuturers, wholesalers etc)
- Terms and Conditions for your website and/or for purchase of your products/services
- Agreements - generally and varied depending on nature of business, for example - employment agreements; terms of service agreements; contractor agreements; confidentiality agreements; distribution agreements etc etc
- Intellectual Property requirements (make sure you're not infringing rights and make sure you are protecting your rights)
Others may also apply depending on the nature of your business but I would suggest that the above applies to most new businesses in some manner.
Jacqui - what area of expertise would I look for in a solicitor to set up these contracts? eg. is it a Corporate Lawyer?