One of the biggest things we’re proud of at California Designs is our family of employees. I inherited the business from my father in 2019 but have been running around the showroom since I was in elementary school, so I’ve known many of the employees since I was young: like our showroom designer, Mari Ann, who has been here for 37 years, our receptionist, Lori, for 23 years, and our lead installation technician, David, for 35 years.
When I took over the business, I inherited a my father’s ideas about employee retention, and that has allowed us to keep employees from one generation of ownership to another. Here are four of our strategies.
1. Act Like a Coach, not a Boss
Creating an environment where people want to continue working starts with my attitude as the owner. I position myself on the same level as my employees and act more like their coach than their boss. I want them to be confident and selfsufficient, so I’m there to give them assistance when needed instead of telling them what to do.
2. Hire People With Similar Values
Sharing similar values allows the team to relate on a higher level aside from workplace values and goals. My newest installation technician left his last job because the company’s morals didn’t align with his. When he interviewed with us, he made sure that his values and integrity aligned with us, which has allowed him to excel in our workplace.
3. Offer a Flexible Work Environment
We like to make sure our employees maintain a good work-life balance. The pandemic has shown us that people run into circumstances that may keep them away from the traditional in-person work setting. When my bookkeeper couldn’t come into the office for personal reasons, we helped move her desk and computer into her home until she could come into the office again.
4. Make Your Workplace an Enjoyable Place
We like to show our employees we care and value them by celebrating them and making the workplace a fun place to be. For us, this looks like taking our employees out to a nice dinner, celebrating office birthdays and having annual company parties. Implementing these fun activities helps foster stronger bonds between employees and builds morale.
