Building loyalty

The other day, listening to a popular podcast, I heard a Fortune 500 CEO state that this moment is the toughest period he has ever experienced for hiring and retaining talent. He added that he has been with the brand, with thousands of locations, for 27 years! No doubt, the world of work is going through several massive changes. These changes include Boomers retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day and younger people leaving jobs daily to the tune of more than 4 million per month for more than a year, while the overall percentage of unemployment remains low. You, meanwhile, are either in-season or preparing for the start of your year. In the middle of this chaos and change, how might you put or hold together a group of people that will become your 2023 team?

Hiring in the best of times is hard. What is a manager to do today? Although these ideas are not absolutes, the following three opinions are my thoughts for building and retaining a team. Having been involved in hiring and developing people for decades, I thought I understood some of the struggles. Now, I am not so certain. You be the judge. In this post, I provide a few specific ideas on team building for the new season:

Lay out the plan: Your new hires want to know the plan. They want to know about scheduling, the type of work, the pay and all possibilities for growth over time. They would also like to know your timeline for their growth.

Communicate often: Whether it is you or one of your managers, be sure to connect with the new team members daily. This is about asking questions and then caring about the responses. Staying connected can help the leadership know when a fire has started long before smoke appears. Build a plan with your managers, and then work that plan each and every day. Maintaining the focus, laying out the expectations, and making your team members feel valuable is crucial to the process.

Build creative compensation: We know that each role is worth X. You have a history of payroll that includes a certain dollar range for every position. There are ways to create other forms of compensation beyond the hourly rate. This includes an individual monthly or quarterly bonus (frequency counts) for achieving agreed-upon goals. In addition, you might offer a referral bonus when a staffer brings in a long-term team member. This should be a published and celebrated program. Finally, what about a loyalty bonus? At a time when loyalty seems not to be on the agenda for most, provide a yearly bonus that could even increase over the years for remaining a productive member of the team. Not only can this be an attractive idea for employees, their partners just might also become great fans of the practice.

Finding caring people is hard. My belief is that many business leaders just do not spend enough time in the areas of recruiting, hiring, and development. Once you commit, work to build a program where your club becomes the place to work. The Great Resignation will end one day. With Boomers exiting and competitors becoming more creative in searching for talent, the hiring process will remain a challenge. If you decide to add any of the above ideas I believe that they will need to become a part of your story for years to come. Although you must make certain both costs and your pricing is in line, offering a solid pay to play and pay to stay program can be the way to create a story, enhance your 2023 team, and build a place where the community wants to both play and work.

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion posts. Jack is an accomplished speaker and author of two books, including The Grand Tug of War; buying and selling in the real world. Jack can help you create a better golf shop, staff, and service standard. He is an expert in operations, the golf shop and customer service. Contact Jack at jackd@careerdividends.com or call him at 407-973-6136. Not sure? Jack is happy to connect on Zoom to answer your questions. Jack lives in Orlando.