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| Supervisestaff.com |
Supervising
low-paid retail employees can be challenging. Many workers are kids who are just
out to earn extra money. Their priorities are not the same as yours. They are
not necessarily concerned with sales, profits or improving customer service
ratings. Get too strict with them, and they're likely to quit and find another
retail job. Therefore, you must implement certain procedures and strategies to
keep their performance level on par with what you need at your small business.
Communicate
Your Expectations
Effective
communication between you and your retail employees is an important part of your
ongoing success. Apprise your retail workers of your expectations up front.
Share your key goals and objectives, including friendliness toward customers,
courtesy and quicker service. Set the ground rules as far as breaks, idle
chatting and smoking on company property. Let your workers know the
repercussions for violating your policies, such as write-ups, loss of hours or
termination.
Observe
Employees in Action
Observe your
low-paid retail workers in action. Watch how they interact with customers and how
the customers react to them. Check if your retail employees smile and make eye
contact with your customers. Listen to some of the conversations to determine
whether customers' questions are answered adequately. Recognize key strengths
and weaknesses of your employees with respect to their specific jobs. Jot down
notes so you can better recall incidences you want to discuss with certain
employees.
Offer
Positive Reinforcement
Use positive
reinforcement with your low-paid retail workers. Positive reinforcement is the
recognition of an employee's effective job performance. Compliment your workers
if they perform exceptional service or help a customer in a special way.
Positive reinforcement is likely to encourage repeat behavior.
Use
Constructive Criticism
Always be
constructive when criticizing your low-paid retail workers. Tell the employee
what he did wrong and, subsequently, demonstrate the proper way to perform the
specific task. Do not yell at workers, especially in front of customers or
peers. This type of behavior can hinder your store's reputation among
customers. Reprimand employees for inappropriate behavior in private. Also,
make sure your criticism is handled in a timely manner.
Use Simple
Motivational Techniques
Initiate
some simple motivational techniques with your low-paid retail employees, such
as "Employee of the Month." Include short-term rewards for things
such as customer service, creativity and training. Treat your best-performing
shift worker for a particular week to a free lunch, for example. But always
make sure your motivational techniques are tied to specific goals and
objectives. Do not reward workers for performance that is expected of them.