Finding Good Staff

Published: 08 Jun, 2010

Finding the right people to work in, or manage your garden centre is not always easy.

Once you have found the right person it can be a struggle to keep them as higher paid opportunities tempt them to so-called greener pastures or more attractive locations for them and their family.
 
So what can we do to help this situation?
 

Hire the right people

Hire for attitude rather than horticulture knowledge – a friendly, outgoing personality, enthusiasm, initiative, are all qualities you should look for.

Make sure your business is progressive and well managed – staff who want to get on are attracted to these types of business.

Show them that you will provide opportunities for personal growth – training, positions of responsibility, etc.

Train them in the skills they might not have.

Head your advertisements “Progressive Retail Garden Centre Seeks Friendly, Enthusiastic, Salesperson”, not “Horticultural Assistant Required for Garden Centre”.

Interview thoroughly – take time, speak to previous employers, ask them to complete a small assignment.
Remember, it’s easy to hire, hard to fire!

Share your plan

• Tell your staff about your plans for the business – your philosophy, vision, goals, and budgets .
• Give them a sense of ownership and involvement.
• Ask for their thoughts and ideas.

Give them responsibility

• Make them accountable and responsible – do this in ‘bite size’ pieces, increasing their responsibilities as they develop.
• This will give them a real interest in their work, make them feel important and encourage them to do their best.
•  Involve them in decision making.

Train them

There are not many skills needed in a garden centre that can’t be trained. You can’t train for personality and enthusiasm.

Training is essential as there are not too many ‘Ready made’ models out there.

Training keeps staff motivated, plus they learn to do a better job.

What happens if you train them and they leave? Even worse, what happens if you don’t train them and they stay? Do you want to be the garden centre that has the untrained staff?

Share results and keep them informed – this is how they learn to make good decisions.

Reward them

Most of us like to earn a fair and reasonable wage. This is only part of the mix.

• Acknowledge jobs well done.
• Be lavish with praise when it is deserved.
• Small treats – vouchers, wine, chocolates, ½ day off, - all have much greater impact than an extra 50 c per hour!

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