12 Days of Business Tips Holiday Sweepstakes: nsBizTip #3

nsBizTip #3

On the Third Day of Business Tips Network Solutions said to me
Treat your employees well.

If you have experienced, motivated employees, you are probably already treating them well – paid them competitive salaries and benefits, provided training, acknowledged their contributions. If, on the other hand, you turnover is high and employee morale is low, you should consider changing the way you hire, manage, and reward your staff.

Hiring the right employees can be challenging for small businesses. Avoid hiring friends and acquaintances, as this can be a recipe for disaster. Choose employees that are friendly, courteous and customer-focused. You want employees who can empathize with customers’ needs while being well-informed about the product or service you offer. Seek to hire employees with drive, dedication and a commitment to working with others to get the job done right.

Encourage employees to deliver exceptional customer service by making customer service training an on-going process. Foster employee development by having them share success stories, particularly those demonstrating how they overcame adversity to solve a customer’s problems.

Empower employees to deliver exceptional levels of service. Providing true empowerment to your employees means giving them knowledge, resources, authority and managerial support.

Reward employees when they provide stellar customer service. Praise alone is not sufficient. Consider offering monetary rewards. Studies show that when pay is linked to performance, employee motivation and productivity increase by as much as 63 percent.

By practicing the Golden Rule, treating employees as you would like to be treated, your business will be ultimately rewarded.

Stay tuned for more 12 Days of Business Tips. In the meantime,

Enter to win
the Twelve Days of Business Tips Holiday Sweepstakes
This year, we’re giving small businesses a spin
on a classic holiday favorite. Prizes awarded daily.

Day 3 Prize:
iCARD Gift Card (prize value $200)

Entries for Day 3 sweepstakes are closed. Click here for more 12 Days of Business Tips.

Three Methods of Entry:
Tell us how you treat your employees well by

commenting below; and/or
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You may enter multiple times on each day of the sweepstakes via any of the listed entry methods, provided a unique, non-duplicative “comment” is submitted via each method. All entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m EST on the day of each daily sweepstakes. Winners will be announced on the next business day. See official contest rules for details.

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At Network Solutions®, we focus on helping small businesses start and market their businesses on the Web, enabling them to realize their dreams of self-reliance, entrepreneurship, creativity, and financial independence. We pioneered the service for creating and acquiring specific "web addresses" (known as domain name registration), and today offer a full range of Web-related services. In addition to domain name registration, we offer Web site design and hosting, e-commerce solutions, online security products, and search engine marketing and optimization. You can find us on the web at www.networksolutions.com.

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MaverickMarketer

Congratulations Mariana_Evica!

You've won Day 3 of the Network Solutions Twelve Days of Business Tips Holiday Sweepstakes. Thank you for sharing how you treat your employees well.

We’ll send an email within 1-2 weeks to confirm your prize, a $200 iCARD Gift Card.

http://bit.ly/12BizTips

ercinolan

I say thank you and I mean it for a job well done. I do not always have the opportunity to provide financial reward, but I do what I can to make sure my employees know I honestly appreciate the work they do and find other ways to compensate them by buying lunches, or providing paid time off as compensation.

Johannah Brookwell

At our company, we pay 100% of their health care coverage, and we do free lunch every Friday, in addition to other great benefits ~ and it pays back great dividends.

socialsonya

Great post!
Here is my 2 cents:
Apply the rules of Web 2.0 - be authentic, be transparent and be real. If you are authentic and transparent, then your employees feel like they are a part of the bigger picture, and buy in to the corporate vision.
Give praise - yes, it isn't always enough, but many managers NEVER praise their employees. And again, be sincere about it, and don't over do it (so it feels special when it does occur).

sloporto

During times of tight finances where financial rewards are difficult to get approved (like bonuses or financial recognition), I do the following:
1. "Day Off Reward" - an easy way to take care of an employee is to give that person a day off and don't process it as time off.
2. My staff works hard and puts in lots of extra hours, so if one of them needs to come in late or leave early for a personal need I let them take the time without requiring them to use personal or vacation time. Another little thank you as long as it is not abused.
3. Conducting internal Professional Development Training classes twice a month to continually develop my team's knowledge and technical skills.
4. Individual recognition within the team.
5. Taking the time to know what they are dealing with, listening to them and getting involved - employees like to know they matter and management is listening.

sandieveleth

Treat your employees as well as (if not better) than your customers...and take them on a 3-4 day cruise every year!

tbotzon

We pay extra for production and we provide health insurance :)

ardisbartle

Provide a reward for "ways to improve our business". Asking employees for better, more cost effective ways wins surprising results. Even a small reward of $200 is good motivation for positive entries!

Mariana_Evica

Great post, and I have something to add (of course!) - pay does motivate many employees, and it does motivate me, to a certain extent. I would say a significant number of employees, particularly the most creative and innovative are motivated and rewarded by having a *voice*.

When the President of the company I used to work for visited my department and insisted he had an "open door policy" I took him up on it; my colleague and I visited him and shared observations and a vision for change at the company, and were fortunate enough to create an entirely new department, with ourselves as co-heads of the department. It was the most rewarding and extended period of motivation I've had to-date in my career!

This experience will continue to inform my own policies and protocols in relating to employees in perpetuity.

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