Summer is a popular time for many stores to hire part-time or seasonal employees. Although these individuals may not have the expertise or experience of your full-time workers, they are just as important to the success of your store. As a result, they are certainly deserving of your attention – and if you handle the situation correctly, they may even provide a boost to your sales.
Get new workers acclimated
The most important thing you can do for your employees is to properly train them to work in your store. When they are comfortable with the layout and operations, they are better suited to helping shoppers, and they won't have to bug superiors with minor questions. Having workers who know their job well can make their interactions with customers much smoother, allowing for everyone to have a better experience and leave with a positive impression of your store.
Listen to feedback
An important aspect of managing people and a store is to listen to employee feedback. Maybe one person is having trouble on a register but is great at creating store displays, or another is excellent at helping customers but gets bored organizing store racks – you'll never know until you take the time to speak to them. Checking in periodically with individuals throughout the summer is a great way to show you care about their happiness and the operations of the store.
Not only can checking in with employees keep both sides happy, but it can also alert you as to the day-to-day goings on in a store. Workers that are constantly on the floor may have heard about aspects of the boutique that customers do or do not like, and that could help you better revamp your displays and layout.
Reward good effort
While you certainly don't have to give your employees free reign over a store, there's no harm in allowing them some leeway to create a space that functions well for workers and customers. A good way to remain hands-off while still providing support is to offer incentives for a job well done. You could hand out awards for Employee of the Week or Month as motivation to get workers to always do their best. Another possibility for rewarding employees is picking up the tab for lunch when workers are forced to come into the store on a summer holiday or pull a double shift.
