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Winter 2022 ACROSS THE TRADES
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Have you spent time finding out what
your team members value most? Don’t
assume you know what they consider
good perks. Ask them and find out
what they really want. They’ll give you
powerful incentive ideas for now and
later on.
Show them how going the extra mile
will help you help them achieve that
goal. One business owner I work with
goes out of his way to help out his staff.
In their first few months, he finds a way
to contribute to their personal lives.
This could be setting them up with a
mortgage advisor if they’re looking for
a house, or they get to leave an hour
early to coach their kid’s sports team on
Thursdays.
The point is, it’s what matters to
them.
3
Is your incentive program
breeding entitlement?
Entitlement. It’s the last thing
you want in a staff member. So how do
we stop it creeping in from incentives?
You might do this already – keep them
random. Shout your guys the odd coffee
here and there. Give them a gift card to
the local tool supplier when a curveball
meant they really had to dig in to get a
job done on time, and they knocked it
out of the park.
At the risk of stating the obvious
– the key lies in the inconsistency.
They’re informal gestures that say, “we
appreciate your effort”. Keeping them
unexpected is what keeps entitlement
at bay. If staff don’t know they’re
coming, then expectations don’t grow.
That said… random incentives are a
move, not a game plan. They’re valuable,
particularly if you sense entitlement
brewing. But they’re best placed as the
cherry on the incentive cake – not as the
cake itself.
4
How often do
you ask your
team members
for their number?
You’ve asked each staff
member what they prefer
as an incentive. Extend
the buy-in. Ask them to
come up with their own
performance goals.
Go through this process together.
Agree on something, then catch up
regularly to help them stay on track.
This doesn’t have to be long (ten
minutes weekly should do it), but
consistency is key.
For example, if your apprentice
wants to work on turning up on time
or improving their attitude, and you
agree, hold them accountable to these
performance goals by grading them out
of ten at the end of each week.
Do this with each of your team so
everyone has something they’re aiming
for. This way they
don’t get bored, as
studies show being
bored in their current
role is the biggest
reason people look for
a new one.
Keep your team
challenged by
giving everyone a
number that they’re
accountable to. The
best sports teams
are great at this. The
players hold each
other accountable, not the coach. When
everyone has their number, your guys
will help each other out too.
5
How big are you on the
little things?
Incentives are great. But they’re
not your only tool to building a team
that loves working for you.
Recognition is powerful (and
definitely a lot easier). Research shows
that 63% of staff who feel recognised
are highly unlikely to look for a new job.
On the flip side – a lack of recognition
is why 44% of employees change jobs.
One tradie I worked with had an
admin person who was on a bit of a
performance roller coaster. She
wasn’t quite giving the boss
what he needed. Productivity
fell, especially when she was at
home during the holidays. Deliverables
weren’t meeting deadlines or required
standards.
Tough conversations weren’t working.
Turns out she finds it hard if she’s not
encouraged. Once he said things like
“thanks for your work on that project – I
couldn’t have done it without you” there
was a huge change. She was diligent
again and a lot easier to work with.
So, what drove this change? Not a lot,
actually. Just her boss made her feel
appreciated by acknowledging what
was true – he couldn’t have done that
task without her.
Sometimes we can
overlook the power of
recognising the value
of what our team does
every day.
This recognition
doesn’t have to only
come from you. Put
praise from customers
in your group chat.
This will make your
team feel great about
the work they’ve done.
Recognition of a job
well done can be one of the best returns
on investment in your business. How
often do you say thank you?
So, what’s the ultimate key to
staff retention?
You’ve got to pay your staff well, but
more money isn’t always the answer.
Instead, find out what truly matters
to them and reward them in that way.
Even better, attach it to their long-term
professional growth.
Make it personal. Cookie cutter
bonuses and incentives can be helpful,
but they only go so far.
Align staff incentives with your
business goals. This gets everyone on
the same page and your business ends
up running with the fluency of a Formula
1 pit crew. Well, maybe not quite. But you
get the idea.
Recognition of a job
well done can be one
of the best returns
on investment in
your business. How
often do you say
thank you?
Business coach
and creator
of Next Level
Tradie Daniel
Fitzpatrick.
Need some help to get your team
performing at the highest level?
Book a free strategy chat with me at
Next Level Tradie (nextleveltradie.
co.nz/nextstep/)