Cultivating & Creating Loyalty with Your Staff
With so many ups and downs in a business, the last thing you want to have to constantly worry about is your staff. Cultivating a loyal staff will help you grow, modify and work through tough times, knowing you have the support of your team behind you. Yet, many studio owners get so caught up in the minutia of their day-to-day work that their staff can end up feeling a bit neglected. Generally, this isn’t intentional. In fact, it’s almost always because the staff is so well-run that they can take care of themselves. This doesn’t negate, however, the need for consistent guidance and support. Staff turnover is often due to lack of communication, as opposed to other external factors.
So, how do you cultivate loyalty with your team? And what does a loyal employee look like? Loyalty demonstrates dedication and commitment to the success of the company. In addition, loyal employees/contractors feel supported and heard by their managers. On the flip-side, employees who feel unsupported, or feel that there is no opportunity for growth, or feel that they are compensated unfairly, will likely have one foot out the door at all times. With the recent shift in employment—the Great Resignation or the Great Re-Evaluation—employees are looking for work that is meaningful and fulfilling. And studio owners need to take heed—according to Mercer’s Global Talent Trends 2022 report, only 43 percent of U.S. workers say their current company is meeting their needs.
So what are your team members looking for, and how can you create a more loyal staff? Here are our top tips for studio owners:
1. Ask for feedback and be willing and able to react/act on it.
Part of a manager's role is providing feedback to the employees and team, but the other half of that equation is being able to listen and ask for feedback in return. If you don’t know what your employees are thinking and needing, there is no way for you to truly understand how to better serve their needs.
2. Give recognition!
Managers often save recognition for special moments, meetings and quarterly or end-of-year reviews, but this can create an environment where your staff is unsure of their performance. Forbes magazine, in their article 3 Reasons Why Employee Recognition Will Always Matter shares, “You’d be surprised by the degree to which simply thanking your employees fosters an atmosphere of trust. When employees know their efforts contribute to a cause and are noticed by people higher up the food chain, they feel a deeper connection to leadership.”
3. Provide incentives and perks.
Incentives and perks can come in a variety of forms, from partnerships with other businesses where they receive a discount, to special perks at your studio. We’ve found it really successful for retail, for instance, to allow employees to purchase items when you’re placing your order at the wholesale price. They get an incredible steal on clothing and you get immediate brand ambassadors/models for your new merch. Other perks can include days off for volunteer work.
4. Trust and empower your team.
Loyal team members feel trusted and empowered by their managers. This means that you need to give them all of the tools necessary so that they can fulfill their tasks with confidence and to the level you expect. It also means avoiding micromanaging their every move. Once you’ve set very clear standards of operation, you want to give them the space to truly shine. One of the top complaints from employees who are looking to exit, is that their manager is always micromanaging their work.
5. Be loyal.
It’s a two-way street—you want your employees and staff to be loyal to your studio; you need to show that you’re loyal to them. This means being mindful of how you communicate and what you say about employees to other staff members. It also means that you show commitment to their membership on your team, even if this means shifting their role until they are in a place that’s better suited for their skills. The motto is right person, right seat.
6. Ensure the team understands and lives the core values.
One of the number one mistakes we see from management is that the core values have not been communicated clearly to the members of the team. It’s very important that everyone from your front desk to your teachers to your cleaning crew understand your core values. It gives them motivation and incentivization for their work and also helps them know that they are contributing to the greater overall success of your business.
7. Foster team building.
Oftentimes team members feel that they are working in a silo. One of the best things you can do for your business is create a more cohesive team. If you find that a lot of your employees do not interact with one another because of scheduling, create time where they can get to know one another. Monthly meetings are a great start, but team building through volunteer work, or off-sites are a wonderful way to create a more invested team and a more inviting work atmosphere. (Off-sites provide you with a great opportunity to check out nearby retreat centers/workshop spaces where you could eventually hold events for your clientele as well!)
8. Invest in their growth.
If you show a commitment to helping them achieve their goals, they will feel more driven to excel. One example is to provide an allotment each year for education. This is a win-win for you. You not only help them continue to keep their certifications active, you also keep your classes interesting and your offerings current. What better sell is there than having the most highly trained staff in the industry?
Many managers and studio owners know that they have a great staff, but don’t have the bandwidth to ensure their team members are happy. Taking a proactive approach to your team will not only foster a greater sense of loyalty, it will also boost your overall business brand and image.
Telomere Consulting provides business consulting and marketing services to studio owners in the boutique fitness and yoga space. The Telomere team helps you navigate business strategy from conception to implementation. We provide end-to-end marketing support and would love to hear from you. Click here to book your free intro call. We want you to treat your business the way you treat your body – making the right choices now to optimize its potential for a long and healthy life. Visit us here to learn more.
