Keeping good employees is tough in any industry but even more so in the landscaping industry. Attracting and retaining employees that are responsible and ambitious is the hope of any business. In order to build a business with a strong foundation, you need a good workforce. Regardless of whether you are a larger business with a HR department or it is just you, there are budget friendly ways to go about hiring and maintaining a team of talented and devoted professionals. You need to provide them with an attractive, long-term career path so they stay with your business rather than look to see if the grass is greener somewhere else.
Here are five tips for keeping your landscaping employees happy
Have great communication
Ongoing communication with employees is key to them feeling engaged and part of the team. Here are some different ways you can create an effective communication process that will help keep the employee connected and retained by the company:
- Daily huddles
- Weekly one-on-one meetings
- Quarterly and/or annual performance reviews
- Annual rewards and recognition ceremony.
Build employee skills
Providing on-going training opportunities helps build skills that will lead to employees feeling more confident and in turn, more productive. This can look like teaching employees something new each day. This not only helps boost their skill set but also keeps the job interesting. There are also trade shows and seminars that are worth attending through out the year. Of course this year is different with the Covid-19 pandemic but you can still attend one virtually. When you see employees taking part in continuing education resources, consider rewarding them.
Promote work-life balance
A big part of employee retention is paying attention to work-life balance within their companies. When employees see that you are trying to reduce pressures that come from within the workplace and outside, it will deliver a message to your team that you are invested in their success.
- Assist your employees: This can be with transportation, daycare, or health expenses. If you can afford it, this will go a long way with your staff.
- Create a payroll advance program: This would allow employees to access their paycheck funds prior to pay day. This can help your employees manage financial hardships or familial obligations. Putting together a program like this will communicate to your staff that you understand their situation and are choosing to see them not just as employees but as real people.
Help workers feel empowered
As a business owner, it is hard to hand off certain responsibilities to other people. Delegating out work to your employees lets them know you trust them with something that is normally outside of their comfort range. They will feel challenged and appreciative that you are confident in their abilities. Your employees become more valuable to you and they in turn feel a deeper connection to the company.
Encourage feedback from employees
Accepting feedback from employees is key to making them feel important within the company. When your workers feel like their thoughts and opinions are heard, a deeper connection to your company is further fostered. If workers get the sense that their thoughts are not being heard, they assume they do not present much value to the company. This leads to employees leaving and high employee turn-over levels.