Find Good Employees... and KEEP Them

Convenience stores often experience a very high turnover rate and are usually severely understaffed.  Store owners have a hard time finding and keeping reliable and dedicated employees, especially in small single-location businesses.  Of course, there are common human resources struggles in the hiring process and the fact that many people simply avoid working in retail settings because of the nature of the business.  However, what is even more difficult for store owners is losing the quality help they do find.

When c-store owners are able to find good employees, their staff often becomes easily burnt out or just simply displeased with the work they’re doing.  This can lead to poor attendance, poor performance and more.  With this risk involved, most c-store owners decide just not to go about hiring more employees and typically end up doing most of the work themselves.  But is this necessary? The simple answer is: not really.  There are many things that c-store owners, even those with a single small store, can do to find and keep great employees that will help build their business.

Rethink Your Benefits

While many store owners believe that higher wages and better benefits packages for employees lead to a lower profit margin, studies show that this way of thinking is far from the truth.  Studies have shown that employees that feel they are being compensated appropriately and rewarded for hard work are much more productive.

In recent news, there has been a strong push for a significant raise to federal minimum wage.  As legislation efforts have continued to move in the favor of those who want the increase, some retailers have already begun to increase their employees’ pay.  Employers like QuikTrip and Trader Joe’s have proven that keeping labor costs as low as possible is no longer a necessity to making more money¹.  These companies made the commitment to pay their employers a livable wage and are reaping the benefits of increased sales and staff that is dedicated to continuous improvement.

Compensation doesn’t have to be all about actual paychecks, either.  Consider all of the ways in which you can reward employees for their efforts including access to affordable health care, free lunches, gift cards, paid time off, and more.  When your employees understand that their work is appreciated, they are much more motivated and it reflects on the satisfaction of customers and overall store success.

Provide Proper Training

One of the best ways to guarantee that employees are productive and performing tasks the way you want them to, is to ensure they have the training to do so. When your staff is comfortable and confident in their abilities, they are less likely to become frustrated with their everyday duties.  Employees with the proper tools to succeed, including conflict resolution and problem solving skills, are more likely to welcome challenge and come to work day after day with a positive outlook.  Give your employees peace of mind by ensuring they have the knowledge and resources they need.

Don’t Wear Them Out

Overworked employees easily lose focus and are prone to making mistakes on the job.  It's important to respect your employees' work-life balance.  The best way to do this is to divide work hours among a team of people so that no one is stuck behind a register from open to close of business and your employees have the opportunity to have regular breaks and meals.  The goal in any business or profession should be to “work smarter, not harder”.  Although some single-store owners see having a team as too great an expense, most businesses find that the benefit of fairly treated employees is far greater than the cost to have more than enough people on staff.

If you have multiple employees, make sure that they are able to work as a team and are trained in all of the various duties to be carried out in your store.  The goal of everyone working in your store should be to guarantee the customers’ happiness and ensure the store’s success, by any reasonable means necessary.  Let’s face it, a team of stars is better than just one in the demanding c-store industry full of ups, downs, and surprises.

Create a Great Culture

It may seem that in a small convenience or grocery store, there isn’t much of a “company culture”.  This couldn’t be farther from the truth.  No matter how many locations you have, the size of your store, or even the community you serve there is always a need for a great work atmosphere to encourage employee performance and longevity.  Keeping your employees engaged and enthusiastic about the store’s success is much easier when they actually enjoy coming to work.

A pleasant work experience starts with you.  When you maintain a positive attitude and show your dedication to both the happiness of your employees and the success of the store, you inspire the same spirit in your team.  Boosting employee morale is as simple as the occasional “Great Job” and can sometimes go a lot farther than just a random pay raise.  Also, make sure that your employees know their opinions and feedback does not fall on deaf ears.  Make it a point to welcome employee input, they often have the best insight into your business’ potential.

Today, many companies look at employees as assets, rather than expenses.  This way of thinking has led to higher profits for many businesses.  While finding good help can be difficult and time consuming, especially for a small business owner, keeping the employees your store needs doesn’t have to be that hard.