Suggestions For Hiring Training and Retaining Good Employees

He had just let his morning attendant go and was filling out her shift. A young girl came in to ask for a job. She was 18, cute, and knew how to do laundry. Well, anyone could tell you that cute and 18 is a bad mix for hiring a long term employee. But, he needed someone now because he wanted to get away from the customer counter. So she was hired. In the next few months business grew. She met folks, smiled a lot, remembered names and did great wash & fold. The girl was perfect and stayed until he decided to sell the place seven years later. She and her then new husband bought it. By the way, she first met the lucky guy when he brought in his personals to be washed, dried and folded. That laundry owner found a really Stand Out Employee, and they are really hard to find and keep for any business, let alone a rather lowly, poor paying niche position as a wash and fold laundry attendant. The better ones seem to become dissatisfied and leave for a better job as soon as they can. The main point of writing this is to advise fellow laundry operators about how to find, hire, properly care for and treat workers. and keep them on the job. Finding the right one The best place to advertise that there is an attendant position open is the bulletin board of your own laundry. Sit down and write out what it is you are looking for and let your regulars help you find it. Works every time. Everyone wants to be able to help a friend in need, and anyone looking for a job could be considered in need. They''ll tell their friends, or they may be interested themselves. Those people that use your laundry are already familiar with the business. They do wash and dry there, so they already know the basics of how to wash, dry and fold. Many good attendants are women that have been out of circulation from the business world while raising their family. Now they would like to find a job but may lack the confidence to go back to an office job because there have been so many changes since they last worked outside the family. They are confident in their ability to do a good job as a laundry attendant because they have been doing laundry for years. These women are more mature, able to deal with the public and do not have high expectations about pay. Many of them really don''t need the money and are thus willing to work for less just to have something to do. Place that bulletin board announcement up and see if we are not right. One laundry owner did it and was able to get three acceptable applicants on the first day. Training is vital to their success Don''t just engage someone''s services and not let them know the details of the job you expect them to do. Explain and train new employees so they know what you expect and how you want things done. How to greet customers, how to write laundry and cleaning orders, how to wrap customer bundles and finally how to keep the necessary records. For a few you will have to instruct them on how to dress. You might even provide uniforms. They will have duties out in the laundry to greet and mix with the clientele and help when they are asked to. They will also no doubt clean and tidy up. When should all of these thing be done? Exactly what are they to do about cleaning machines? Do you wish these things done by the clock or only on a time available basis? This training and supervision takes time and effort on the part of the supervisor who won''t have to be around all the time, but should be there enough to observe employees and know what they are doing. Council your people so that they are certain what they are doing is fine and it''s how you want it done. If mistakes are made, and there will be, show them or tell them what and how you want it done differently next time. Part of supervision should be to encourage and give an occasional pat on the back for things done right. The good boss also speaks firmly about any mistakes that are made. Critique employees firmly, privately, and in a serious, but non threatening manner. You need to ask yourself whether someone working for you earns so much money that they would be willing to be embarrassed in front of others by your yelling at them. Do they want to work that badly? How attendants can be compensated Some operators offer minimum wage as the beginning salary, with a thirty day training and trial period. If at the end of thirty days they have proven to be good for your business, you will give them a raise. You''ll know a lot sooner if they are going to make it. When you have made up your mind, one way or another, let them know, It''s not necessary to wait for the full thirty days. Either let them go, as soon as you know, or give them the promised raise a little bit early. That''s one heck of an incentive and builds confidence and loyalty. It''s truly amazing how potent raises are to a worker, even small ones. It''s a compliment to their ability and such compliments are repaid with better work and loyalty to the place they work. One experienced operator has told the News that he gives a quarter an hour increase to his good employees at least every three months. It isn''t much, but the frequency of the increases keeps them trying hard to be as good a laundry attendant as they can be. Another good incentive is to give a bonus or commission percentage on the work they perform for the paying customers. If they take in and do wash & fold orders, they get a percentage of that order. That''s in addition to whatever they receive as salary. It''s so powerful that at some laundries the attendants are recruiting wash, dry and fold and dry cleaning customers in their off duty time. They often are willing to pick up and deliver on their own time just to get the incentive. Often these attendants are offered tips from the customers for the good job they have done. This too is a great incentive for them to do a good job on their service. The one problem that tipping presents is the attendant will be tempted to go out of their routine for the tipper. They should treat all customers the same, whether they tip or not. Another fine touch some better laundry operators employ is to give employees a birthday card on their special day. It''s always nice when the boss remembers. Other operators make it a point to hold some type of special holiday event, like a party, for all of those who work there. Yes, these things take a little money and time, but it can really pay off in the form of having happy people working in your laundry business.