Originally posted – Jan 29, 2014
As gloomy national headlines continue to herald the huge numbers of unemployed, laundry owners are provided with a large pool from which to obtain prospective workers.
If you’re in need of an employee or two, there are many ways to get the word out. Over the years, I’ve used a variety of methods. However, the least expensive way is to depend on referrals from your current employees, customers, family and friends. There’s more of a comfort level with an applicant that someone knows (even if it’s Matilda’s third cousin’s sister), as opposed to a complete stranger who just walked through the door.
When looking to hire new attendants, don’t neglect signage. Window signs are quite common. To help minimize wasted time on unqualified applicants, be specific as far as what you are you looking for – part-time, full-time, bilingual, level of laundry experience required, etc.
Of course, additional job offerings can be posted on bulletin boards at local grocery stores, churches, schools and colleges, coffee shops, etc. Craigslist is also a popular resource for many employers (even though I’ve never been successful in finding quality applicants this way).
I’ve even had unhappy attendants from competing laundromats ask me for a job. This scenario can come with its own set of challenges – some positive and some negative. Personally, I choose not to employ such job-seekers.
With so many people in search of employment today, laundry owners certainly can afford to be a bit selective in their choice of staff. And with shared values, adequate training and compensation based on productivity, any new employees should help make your business more profitable.
The Right Person for the Job
During my past 12 years in the self-service laundry business, I have hired and trained hundreds of employees. And, along the way, I’ve created a series of “pre-qualifiers” for interviewing prospects, which has enabled me to quickly eliminate unqualified candidates so that I can avoid wasting my time trying “to fit a square peg into a round hole.”
So often, I thought I had selected the right person for the job, only to be disappointed a short time later. Here are some lessons I learned along the way:
1. Avoid hiring friends and family (excluding your spouse, I suppose).
Too often, we feel obligated to place people in a position for which they’re ill-prepared, inept or what I affectionately refer to as “intentionally incompetent” – in other words, they can do the job, but they just show up to receive a paycheck.
Taking directions (read “orders” ) from the boss can become a bitter pill to swallow, which often results in animosity. Family gatherings can get quite uncomfortable for the parties involved. How do you explain to dear cousin Myrtle that her lazy daughter is constantly texting her friends, rather than completing a wash-dry-fold order?
2. Maintain a boss/staff relationship.
In my humble opinion, it’s very hard to party on Friday night with your staff – drink in hand, blabbering away – and then on Monday morning, put on your “Boss” badge and have to chastise one of your attendants for being late.
Your weekend party pal is going to say, “Hey, aren’t we buddies? Remember the fun we had at Joe’s Bar last Friday? What’s the big deal if I open the store 15 minutes late?”
It’s difficult to successfully wear two hats – Ol’ Buddy and Mr. Bossman. Perhaps on special, rare occasions it’s OK, but too often “familiarity breeds contempt” – and a lack of respect.
3. Providing inadequate training – or none at all – frequently leads to frustration, dissatisfaction and unforeseen problems for the employee and the store owner.
To have a successful and profitable business, you and your staff need to work together with some degree of harmony. Employee turnover can be extremely costly for your business, so seriously consider every hiring decision you make.
I know a professional businessman who constantly browbeats his employee, often in front of others. Is it any wonder that this worker’s attendance is erratic and her performance is just adequate?
4. If an applicant feels his or her job performance and skills are worth more than you’re willing to pay, this individual will never be content.
In such cases, you have undercut this person’s “perceived worth.” By the same token, if you don’t value a current employee, don’t keep that individual around.
There are many ways to incentivize valuable staff members such as paying above minimum wage, providing occasional bonuses for special projects, paid time off, gifts and so on.
However, if employees feel “cheated” monetarily or unappreciated for their job performance, believe me, they will find compensation in some manner – pocketing cash, taking products, wasting time, creating customer problems, etc. You certainly don’t want an unhappy, vindictive employee sabotaging your laundry business.
Instead, hire the right people, train them to do their tasks properly, compensate them well for their efforts, and your business should flourish.
So, how do you select the very best people to create the ideal environment at your laundry?
I suggest making a list of five to 10 qualities that you feel a prospect must exhibit. These are the traits I require:
• Honesty
• Dependability
• Friendliness
• Cleanliness
• Strong work ethic
• Communication skills
• Basic math aptitude
• Organization
• Sales skills
Honest and dependable are self-explanatory. Personally, I avoid doing business with unfriendly, rude people. There’s no excuse to employ people who have a poor attitude. An employer can always teach aptitude, but not attitude. Most customers will forgive an attendant’s error, if it’s followed up by a sincere apology and an accompanying smile.
Properly attired attendants send the message that you’re serious about your business. And this is just personal preference, but I won’t hire applicants sporting pierced body parts or a garden of tattoos; that’s just not in sync with the image I want to convey.
Unfortunately, math skills (adding, subtracting, etc.) are quite a challenge for many of today’s young people. I was anxious to hire an “ideal” job applicant until I discovered that she was unable to add or multiply, even with a calculator. So be sure to look for this.
As a former English teacher, I probably place more emphasis on written and verbal skills than most laundry owners. Answering the telephone, talking to customers and writing wash-dry-fold orders are tasks that require those who can communicate with ease. If a customer wants creases down the front of his pants and the employee doesn’t understand the term “creases,” production problems can occur, resulting in a dissatisfied customer.
Lastly, an attendant who handles wash-dry-fold accounts is also a part of the sales team. She has several opportunities to discuss, promote and sell your unique laundry services, explaining why it outshines the competitors. So, when a new customer is acquired thanks to her “sales” efforts, be sure to give her some type of compensation, which will encourages her to seek out even more new customers.
One final note: I’ve shared with many store owners my “Missing Body Parts” theory regarding staffing. Although there isn’t enough space to explain it here, email me at [email protected] for a free copy.
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