Samantha McCartney asked:
Buying a franchise is a great way to become a business owner. In becoming a business owner you will have to learn and practice many different skills to be successful versus just being an employee. In reality you will most likely be transitioning from an employee to an owner/manager. This may actually be able to help you since you still remember what is like to be an employee. Whether you are a new franchisee or have been one for some time knowing how to motivate your employees will be a critical part running your franchise and becoming successful!
For starters, remember back to when you were an employee for someone else. Think about your favorite job and where you felt you did your best. Chances are that time that you are remembering is when you had an outstanding manager who knew how to motivate his/her employee’s.
The reason that you want to motivate your employees is so that they can be successful as well as yourself. A person who is happy and feels needed and challenged will produce a greater quality of work than one who isn’t. Also, if you never do anything fun, as a team or never encourage your employees they will not see a point in doing a good job for you. So, keep all of your employees motivated!
If you are unsure of exactly how to motivate your employees here a few suggestions:
The easiest way is to show them recognition and attention for doing a good job. Everyone wants to know that they are doing well, especially from their manager. Using specific praise is a great way to show you recognize them and their efforts!
Provide ongoing training for your employees! Keeping your employees current with what is happening and knowing what they are doing can provide for a great sense of security for them and will provide better outcomes for your franchise if everyone knows what they are doing.
Also provide a clear career path for all employees. Make sure that they know they can go somewhere with your franchise. When they know there is room to grow they will consistently try to make themselves a better asset to your franchise. It is a win-win situation for you both.
A good work environment is a must! Almost everyone feels that the work environment plays a key role in how employees feel about their place of work. Keeping it honest, safe, clean, and stable is a good way to keep your employees motivated.
Be at team. This is one of the best ways to motivate your employees. Feeling like part of a team is important; you could have pictures made or work together to support a good cause, something like a food drive. At one job I had, we had hot dog stands to raise money for different charities, schools or other community issues. It was a great way to work as a team and do something good for the community!
You may also consider doing some type of snack or lunch for everyone. It may be just because or because of the good efforts of everyone on the team to accomplish something. It is a nice gesture on your part and really lets your employees know you care!
You may also decide to have small contests with your employees. As a manager once I had a selling contest for a small item that was one sale and gave a prize to the person who sold the most each day. Not only did the employees have a good time, the customers were smiling and we sold more of that item than ever before.
These are only a few ways to motivate your employees, there are many more. So, use these ideas and more to keep your employees motivated!