[tweetmeme]A few tips to creating and introducing an employee handbook to your store include:

1. Identify key federal and state law that apply  to your working conditions. This includes The Family Medial Leave Act, among others. Make sue you do not misquote or misstate anything that is protected by a law.

2. Have a disclaimer. The handbook is not intended to be a contract, but rather a guide to your specific store responsibilities and expectations. Employees should feel that the manual is meant to support them in their job, not push them in a corner.

3. Be concise and clear in your messages. If you are outlining the consequences of being late to work, be straightforward so there is no misunderstanding. At the same time, always keep your tone respectful and considerate of your audience.

4. Make sure all employees are tactfully introduced to the manual.If you present the handbook to them in such a way that they believe it is a tool to help them, you will receive a better response from it. Have a handbook accessible at all times for employees to reference.

5. All employees should sign off on the handbook. Make their “sign off”  fun but purposeful, too. For example, “I promise to smile at all customers who walk through the door and really mean it.” In addition, have them sign off on confirming they have read and  understand the details in the handbook.

Finally, if you update the handbook (and you should as your store policies change, technology changes, etc.) make sure your employees are aware of the new conditions. Have them sign a new confirmation and keep all signatures in a secure place just in case.

Look at the handbook as a tool to aid you in your management, and in return you will see a stronger partnership with your team. Now what are you waiting for? Don’t have a handbook yet? Get started!

Retail Minded is available to construct a personalized Employee Handbook for your store. Email nicole@retailminded.com for additional details.

1. Customer Service Skills

In retail, no matter what sector of retail, it is essential that employees excel in customer service. Among the important customer service qualities that retail employees should have  include the ability to calmly interact with customers under all kinds of situations, including stress. Whether you are dealing with a frustrated customer or a disruptive customer, employees who can effectively react to various situations in the retail enviornment are very valuable for stores to have. In addition to dealing with more stressful situations, it’s also great to have associates who excel with client relationships. Their customer service skills can enhance your business in many ways, including financially and socially.

2. Time Management Skills

Anyone who works in retail knows there is a lot to be done. The list is endless regarding what there is to do. When looking for employees, it is beneficial to find people who thrive being busy and can balance many different responsibilities. In addition, being interrupted is common in retail. You can start a project thinking there will be no foot traffic in the store for awhile and then all the sudden you can get slammed. Understanding this comes with the territory is important for employees to respect.

3. Flexible Working Hours

Store hours should accomodate all consumers, not just  those available during the day from 9 to 5. Because of this, having retail associates who are able to work after 5pm and during the weekends is essential. It’s also a good idea to bring up holiday working hours during your employee interviews so you can anticipate what your staff’s availability will be during holiday seasons.

4. Ability To Take Some Heat

Believe it or not, it takes tough skin to work in retail. Hearing “no thanks” or sometimes even just a big, loud “no” from customers can often hurt one’s feelings. There will be times when associates will have to deal with upset customers and respect store policies despite wanting to. It may mean headaches and tears for some, while others let these situations bounce off of them and move forward. Make sure to discuss these types of situations with your associates so you can help plan ahead  for these potentially upsetting situations later.

5.  Willingness To Take Ownership

Great retail associates should be able to “own” the situation they are in. Good or bad, they should be able to proudly represent your business and deliver outstanding service. If questioned later about something, they should have confidence in their actions and likewise, it’s important you have confidence in them. That said, this takes time to earn. But looking for associates who  you believe will “own” their responsibilities is important for your business to thrive since you can’t always be the face of your business.

What other characteristics do you believe retail employees should have? Let us know. Please comment below.

Some suggested questions to help ignite a review of your business during an employees’ review include:

1. How can we help you become a stronger, more valuable employee?

2. Are there any guidelines we have in place that you think need to be altered? Why?

3. Are there any guidelines we don’t have that you think could help the overall business? Explain.

4. What current trends in the marketplace do you see taking  place that we could leverage off of?

5. Are there any items in the product assortment of the store that you think we are missing?  Why?

6. Are there any items in the product assortment that you think could be eliminated? Why?

7. How do you collectively see the employee working relationships in our company?

8. Can we do anything to help strengthen the overall morale of the company? Explain.

9. If  you could change any two things about our company, what would they be? Why?

10. Do you enjoy working here?

Many of these questions are straight-forward and simple while others may provoke thoughts you might not want to hear. Take all of your employee’s responses into consideration and evaluate what, if anything, you can do to improve your work relationships, company policies and more. By making it a habit to constantly learn from your associates, you can gain tremendous success in your combined efforts to maximize your business.

1. What was the single biggest accomplishment for your retail store or wholesale business in the past year? This accomplishment does not have to be reflective of dollars, but instead it can represent opportunity, steps  taken or anything else you truly believe made the largest impact on your business. Make sure your employees have the unique opportunity to give their individual thoughts on this, as well.

2. What do you believe you failed to accomplish in the past year that you had hoped to? Again, make sure your employees can share their opinions here. Take the time to listen to their thoughts and together, you can evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of your business in an effort to do better in the coming year.

3. What were the top selling items of your store or brand in the past year?Do you think  they will continue to trend as top sellers in the new year? Either way, did you anticipate they would be top sellers? If not, how did you react to their sales to provide proper inventory? How can you learn from this to do again in similar situations?

4. What items do you think may replace your top sellers from this past year? Are you prepared to chase any items that sell well from a financial perspective, or have you already eliminated wiggle room in your buying budget?  

5. Is your sales team at the level of performance you want them to be? What do they believe they can do to improve their sales and overall work for your business? What do you want them to do to improve? How will you communicate, educate and inspire them to be stronger performers?

6. What new marketing initiatives can you make to gain visibility for your store, your business, your website and your overall brand / store image? Are you prepared to take the extra steps to do this? What are these extra steps?

7. Did you reach your target market in the past year?Who is your target market? Do you believe your audience may have changed since you opened your store or business and if so, how can you react to accommodate that?

8. Are there new layers (new product, new branding, new marketing, etc.) to your business that you plan to add in the coming year? What are they? How will this impact your employees? You? Your time? Your budget? Make sure everyone necessary understands the process.

9. Do you have to give up anything to get ahead this year? What? Are you willing to make this sacrifice? Are you employees prepared? What do you each need to do to prepare for this?

10. What goals do you have for yourself and your business that need support from outside resources? Whether they are vendors, contractors, consultants, photographers or anyone else, make sure you have scheduled times to work with the necessary parties so that you aren’t left chasing them last minute.

Hopefully these questions can help engage you and your entire team to jumpstart the year ahead with excitement and energy to reach the goals you have set for your business. Make sure to take the time to really evaluate last year in an effort to do better this year. Learn from both your mistakes and successes and when necessary, learn from others. Retail continues to be tough, so it’s okay to not be able to do it alone. Work together and hopefully 2010 will be the year you plan for it to be – or better!

Reduce Unneccessary Workload

Need to unpack boxes to fill some empty shelves? This may be a stress reliever and help take your mind off things… or it may cause you to stress even more about  how to merchandise your new product, the mess the boxes are making in your already too tiny backroom and more. When feeling stressed, try and eliminate projects on your to-do list that don’t have to take place right away. Only do what you have to, then take the extra time to engage in work related projects you enjoy more than others. Catching up on your favorite retail trade publication with some coffee, reading your favorite retail blogs online, reviewing products for the seasons to come and even cleaning up your messy desk can all be stress relievers. Respond to what you know is soothing to you and let the stress slip away for awhile. Of course, as soon as a customer walks in the door you should put on your happy face, but until then, try and relax in your more favorite work responsibilities.

Leaning On Others

Sometimes it is just impossible to do it all. As much as we each want to believe we can handle the juggle of work, family and life, sometimes we need to believe that what is best for us is to actually have others help out. This may mean taking a “sick” day and having a trusted employee work for you, assigning work responsibilities to others to help balance your work load or hiring out retail support to help tackle all your retail needs.  Whether you believe it or not, having others help cancontrol the stress on your plate. Of course, this all depends where your stress is coming from but when possible, this is a great way to help control the stress you have. An example may be if you are worried about attending an important trade show and still managing to merchandise the new product that just arrived. Letting someone else merchandise the product may not be your first choice, but it is not as crucial as the products purchased at the show since you can always re-merchandise as necessary. Now throw in picking up the kids from school, attending a friend’s important event or having to speak at your local chamber meeting and the schedule gets even tighter! Pick and choose how you can lean on others to help eliviate the stress in your workload.

Give Yourself Time

Between checking our Blackberrys, catching up on Twitter and updating our Facebook pages, it’s no wonder people are short on time! These are all great tools that benefit many of our businesses in many ways, but they can also clutter your day if not managed effectively. When dealing with stress – no matter what kind of stress it may be – it is always important to know when to “back away” for while. A day or two without Twitter won’t kill you. Let time be your friend versus your enemy here. Lay just a little longer in bed in the morning, enjoy your walk to work without rushing by everyone on the way and try and relax with a few deep breathes throughout the day. If you are like the majority of us nowadays, this is way easier said than done. But just give it a shot and see how the time opens up for you. Let this time be your stress reliever in between all the other things you have to get done. Things will pass, time will move forward and the stress will ease in some way or another… You just need to get through each day.

Finally, be realistic with your expectations, workload and stress management. We all break at different moments and under different levels of stress, so let you be the judge of when enough is enough. But don’t fight it. Deal with it. And by dealing with it, hopefully you won’t break but instead will get through it. Your customers will be glad to have the normal you back!

We can all agree that feedback is a necessity in any type of relationship, but the actual giving and receiving of it can be a bit arduous in many aspects. Feedback can take many forms: 360 assessments, conversations with your clients, performance reviews, customer/employee opinion surveys, chatting over dinner with significant others, and check-ins with those reporting to you - to name a few. Positive feedback is fun and easier, so let’s talk about the harder part of feedback: the areas of needed improvement – A.K.A. critical feedback.  Ideally, and if feedback is being given in a face-to-face interaction, with proper probing and reflective listening, the reviewee will discover the areas of needed improvement that need addressing and then resistance is minimized and growth strategies can begin to be developed. However, sometimes the issue needs to be presented by the reviewer as they are the one who has taken the responsibility for the other’s growth (by giving feedback as well as by being their manager). The problem is that many times the reviewer’s critical feedback takes on an air of criticism that leads to excuses, defensive behaviors, frustration and resentment.

A wonderful way to reduce these negative outcomes is to give the “negative” feedback in specific, actionable, positive steps with a positive pairing of what’s in it for the reviewee to begin correcting the needed areas. For example, if  the boss of an employee named Natalie is filling in the comment box on her Annual Performance Appraisal and says something like “Natalie has poor customer service orientation,” she may feel attacked, wary of where the information came from, discouraged and unmotivated.  Now if the same issue is addressed in a manner more along the lines of “If Natalie increased her attention to the needs, wants and behaviors of her customers (specific actionable steps), she would be able to further strengthen her customer relations and  increase her sales and commission earned  (paired with a positive outcome that Natalie and her employer care about),” she is more likely to feel cared about (the reviewer took a few extra seconds to specify what would make her better), empowered, and integral part of the organization (or relationship), and motivated! WIN-WIN!

By choosing words that support your associates, you are choosing to help support your business, as well. Make sure to think, react and manage with a positive spin to eliminate negative work!

The above article was  contributed by Jonathan Eisler, MA, Organizational Consultant at RAJ Associates. While most would say that the reason any company and those that work there exist is to make money (an operations mentality), RAJ Associates believes the reason all businesses SHOULD exist is to acquire new relationships and improve upon the ones that they already have (a marketing mentality).  Our team of Industrial Organizational Psychologists  works collaboratively to deliver high impact training, coaching and professional development  that assists managers in becoming coaches, sales reps becoming consultants and customer service agents becoming client advocates so that adaptive constructive change is inevitable! Get in touch to learn more.  www.jonathaneisler.com, www.rajassoc.com, (312) 943-0479, jonathan@rajassoc.com

Protecting Yourself And Your Business 

The first thing to recognize is that if you have other people working for you and your business, it’s important that they understand what you expect from them in their email communication. By making your guidelines clear for all employees of your company, you can avoid possible problems, including potential liability issues and even lawsuits. While some of the below points may seem clear to you, it is beneficial to make your points known to all your employees.

1. Avoid any comments or language that are racist, sexist, defamatory, offensive or obscene. This includes forwarding anything that includes these details.

2. Keep your language gender neutral.

3. Do not use email to discuss confidential information, such as social security numbers or personal issues that have been identified as such.

4. Use disclaimers on all emails sent both internally and externally that highlight specifics to your company and protects you from possible problems due to unprofessional emails.

Becoming Efficient Through Your Choice Of Words

Time is of essence to everyone these days, so there is no point in wasting anyone’s time – particucarly in the busy world of retail. The goal should be to get to the point in your email communication. But in doing this, you should be polite and clear through your choice of words. A few tips on how to do this include:

1. Be direct and clear with a polite, respectful tone.

2. Answer any questions that have been directed to you with respect and direct questions you may have in a clear, professional matter. Often people get frustrated when they think their time is being wasted answering what they believe should already be known, so you want to avoid giving the impression of “frustration” or “annoyance” in your emails.

3. Use proper paragraph structures and professional layouts  for your reader to easily read through your email. Avoid one, long email that all blends together.

4. Do not write in all capital letters. This gives the impression you are screaming. In addition, do not write in all lower case letters. This gives the impression you are lazy.

5. Read and edit your email prior to hitting send. It’s amazing what reading it can often point out to you. Take the time to make necessary changes.

6. Avoid abbreviations even if you think they are obvious. What is obvious to you may not be to someone else.

7. Do not request delivery and read receipts. This takes time away from your audience since they likely have to approve this request. In addition, it’s often perceived as annoying and not necessary in most situations.

8. Don’t forget to include a concise, meaningful subject in your subject line. It should identify what the email is about without being too long in length.

Be Professional And Get Treated Professionally

Fingers get pointed whether we like it or not. He said, she  said is unfortunately part of most businesses, so make sure that what he or she is saying about you is not that you are unprofessional. A few additional points can help portray your business as the professional leaders you want to be.

1. Always respond quickly to emails. Don’t let emails sit in your in-box without at least a short, efficient and professional reply to the sender notifying them of when you can get back to them with additional emails. This puts your audience at peace for a bit and allows you to gain professional respect along the way.

2. Do not overuse the high priority option unless you truly, 110% believe your email is of high priority. Late shipments would fall into this category so a retailer could plan accordingly. However, letting your retailers know about a new product would not be considered high priority in regards to email notifications.

3. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your professional words. Feeling pissed? That’s human. But think about how your emotions may come across in your choice of words in an email that can ultimately result in your business success – or failures.

4. Be careful who you copy (cc) and blind copy (bcc) on your emails. In addition, only hit “Reply All” when necessary and keep those not necessary in the email correspondence off the email thread.

Finally, enforcing an email policy for your business can help ensure professional communication and results. Identifying what is important to your business through a written policy is the best way to do this. Make sure to communicate these details to all necessary employees and have them sign an acknowledgement that they have read and understand it. By enforcing this, you protect yourself and your company. In addition, you gain respect from clients, customers, potential accounts and more! A better possible result? Increased sales! So make sure you are putting in place an email policy today!

Give Trust To Earn Trust

As business owners or even managers, expectations are set that are expected to be performed accordingly. Any track off course from an employee can cause disappointment, frustration, lack of trust and many other feelings that may result in an employee relationship that is micro-managed from your end. It may not, though, as well. Depending on your management style, you may look at mistakes as an opportunity for growth. On the other hand, depending on what is being done incorrectly, you may feel that it isn’t your job to teach some of the basic retail or wholesale skills in which you are managing. Whatever the case may be, remember to deliver your message of correction or concern to your employees with respect. In addition, make sure to allow your employees the chance to do things a few times before your expectations are set in stone as one way or no way. Your employees need to feel as if you have confidence in them in order for their confidence to grow, typically allowing them to grow in their skill set, performance and dedication as employees of your business, as well. The benefits of this type of trust and respect can lead to stronger sales and better customer service, in addition to a healthier line of communication between you and your employees.

Mending Broken Trust

Not only can you feel like you don’t trust employees, but they can feel like they don’t trust you. Possibly you promised them a weekend off and then “forgot” or added them to the schedule anyway. Maybe you dismissed some of their comments regarding the business and neglected to show you cared in their thoughts or interests. Whatever the case may be, you can earn back the trust you may have lost. Be realistic with the time and sensitivity that this may take, but don’t ignore the opportunity. One way to approach the situation is the be honest and upfront with your employee/s that you want to mend the situation. Tell them what you value in their work and suggest ways that together you can improve your working relationship. Don’t forget to ask them what they are thinking or what their suggestions may be regarding the situation. Showing them that you care will begin the process of earning your trust again.

Gaining Respect

Respect isn’t given easily these days. It’s competitive out there in every way, including earning respect from your own employees. Wearing the hat of the boss doesn’t automatically equal respect from your associates. You need to earn this and you need to respect what this means, as well. Whether you are giving orders or assigning responsibilities, the delivery of your communication is the best way for you to earn, gain and keep respect. You should respect your own associates and speak to them like counterparts rather than less qualified employees. This doesn’t mean you should ignore the necessary explanations that may need to be said, but it does mean you don’t need to speak to your employees as if they are children. Speaking of children – make sure you avoid acting like a child yourself. Never gossip, never lie to and never disrespect anyone you work with – whether within your own company or outside vendors. Your employees  may observe this and make judgement on you as a result.

Finally, follow your gut. Each employee is different and likewise, your leadership in managing them may need to be different, as well. The good old fashioned lesson of kindergarten holds true here, as well, when dealing with employee relations – treat others like you would like to be treated yourself!

As a small business retail or wholesale owner, you are able to offer an intern many valuable learning experiences that a corporate, more structured company cannot. It’s possible you can expose them to buying, marketing, merchandising, publicity and so much more – sometimes even in just one day! The advantages on their side are obvious – great experience, great opportunity to learn, great resume builder – but it’s not just about them. There are many reasons you can gain from an intern, too.

Working For You

Often small companies dismiss the idea of an intern because they believe that having one will just get in their way of completing day to day reponsibilities. However, if you let an intern work in your favor, you should find that an intern can add value to your business. Think about the pushed off projects you want to do but just haven’t had time for… Now think about how an intern may be able to help. Consider your strengths, now consider your weaknesses. Possibly an intern who has strengths as your weaknesses can support you where you need it most. Want to gain press but don’t know where to start? A student majoring in marketing and publicity with an interest in retail or your specific business may be the perfect fit. Finally, it goes without saying that you can often get an intern for less money than other employees since they need the credit for school and many are willing to work for experience – not pay. In a perfect world you could pay them at least a little – but it’s your business and your call on that one. Some companies exchange product for their  intern’s support while others pay minimum wage. Just make sure you are aware of the student’s necessary school obligations, as it will be common for you to have to sign off on their work in order for them to get credit having worked as an intern for your business. In addition, it’s often common that you will need to cover certain topics within the internship for it to be approved by the school.

Finding An Intern

Craigslist  is always a hot destination spot for college kids to check job opportunities out, but if you want to really narrow down your search for an intern, go directly to the source. Reach out to colleges with departments that you believe would benefit your business and forward them a well organized intern job description for them to share with their students. Be clear in what your expectations are, pay and hours. In return, your responses should be better suited for your needs.

A first call, phone interview is a great way to weed the good from the bad. You can tell a lot from a phone converstaion. Is the student excited that you called? Do you feel as if they are engaged in the converstaion? Are they answering your questions in a fashion in which you like? If so, invite them for a face to face interview. If not, let them know you will follow up with qualified candidates, therefore not following up with them if you feel they are not the best candidate.

The actual face to face interview is a vital step in choosing your intern. You want to make sure you find a polished, professionally driven college student who will not waste your time but maxmize it and add value to your company. Ask questions that truly matter to you and your business and don’t be scared to be too picky. You should be – it’s your time and your business. Finally, when all the interviews are completed, enjoy your new support and hopefully your business will enjoy the rewards of your intern, as well.

When hiring employees and managing employees, there are a few things to consider that can help keep your business growing and thriving.

1. Give respect to your employees the same way you expect respect from them. This means that you should give them praise when deserved, allow for time off when needed and understand that they won’t always do things right. By recognizing that while they may be great at their job most of the time, you also need to respect that everyone makes mistakes.

2. Work may be the leading force in your life, but that doesn’t mean it’s the leading force in your employees lives. Understand that your employees have personal lives that matter to them, therefore they should matter to you. You don’t need to be best buds and know all about their Friday night out, but you should respect that they need and want to have a Friday night out!

3. Let your employees  be leaders. As much as it can be fun to always be the boss, it’s also fun to let go of some responsibilities. If you find the trust you are looking for in an employee, give them the direction to be leaders. As their responsiblities grow, it’s likely their attachment to your business will grow, too – assuming you are respecting them along the way. Just don’t micromanage.

4. Belittle be gone. No one likes to feel underneath someone else. Never, ever disrespect your employees in any way. They know you are the boss. Why remind them with belittling words? Of course, we expect you to give direction and clear supervision in running your business. Just do so nicely.

Finally, throughout your hiring and managing and sometimes firing of employees, try to earn trust and respect every step of the way. This will create loyalty to you and your business, therefore creating a stronger representation of your business to customers, vendors and all else who walk into your professional world. As a result? More sales and more success!