Educating Staff Goes Beyond Training

Campus stores, like other retailers, are facing many challenges these days, ranging from availability of products to inflation. It’s even more important that all store employees turn in their best performance, especially if there are fewer staff to handle the work.

“Do you have a good staff right now?” asked Tom Shay of ProfitsPlus, a business consultancy, in his virtual CAMEX22 presentation, Getting Extraordinary Results from Ordinary People. “If the answer is No, you have a problem here,” he added.

When employees aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do—and in the way they’re supposed to do it—customer service suffers first, Shay said. In turn, he said, poor service can cause the store to lose its most productive workers and have trouble recruiting replacements.

Too often, retailers train new hires on procedures and policies, and then leave them to carry out their duties with no other interaction. Employees need an ongoing education program, Shay stressed.

“If you don’t have a staff education program, there is no way possible for you to have great customer service. It doesn’t just happen,” he said. Education, which can be incorporated into regular staff meetings, helps workers better understand the purpose of their responsibilities and the important role they play in making customers’ lives better.

Shay shared 12 questions that managers should keep in mind in developing staff education:

Do employees know why they should do it? “Because I said so is not the correct answer,” Shay noted. Explain the rationale for processes; if you can’t, maybe the process should be changed or omitted.

Do they know how to do it? Don’t assume employees automatically know how to handle certain things, particularly student workers in their first job.

Do they know what they are supposed to do? Make sure responsibilities are spelled out. Shay recommended keeping job descriptions simple and breaking up tasks.

Are they confident your way will work for them? And, have you asked them any questions about how they think it should be done? If possible, allow employees some options or leeway in how certain duties are carried out and let them be creative. If something absolutely must be done a specific way, be sure to explain why.

Do they understand the importance and timeliness? Some tasks may seem trivial to employees unless you clarify.

Is there a reward for doing it? Getting to keep their job isn’t really a reward, Shay acknowledged, and other companies may be offering perks, so build some incentives into your program. It can be something small, he said, such as a cup of coffee or an extra 15-minute break.

Is there a penalty for poor performance? Employees need to understand the consequences for not completing their work properly.

Does this person have the skills to do this work? Watch how your people work and be prepared to switch duties if someone would be better suited in another role.

Are you asking them to do this task because you cannot do the task? If the manager doesn’t understand the work, then the employee won’t succeed either.

Is there enough time and necessary tools to complete the task?

Do you check on the progress of the task, or wait until the staff member tells you they are done? Occasional check-ins will ensure the employee is on the right track, Shay said, especially if it’s the first time they’ve done the task. But don’t check too often; the employee should feel entrusted to do a good job.

Staff education sessions should be required for employees, Shay said. Involve some employees in facilitating education. Sessions shouldn’t run more than an hour and employees should be paid for the time.

“An inadequacy that goes uncorrected sets a new standard for the business,” Shay said.