We are always talking about the value of commercial laundry software. However, this new year, I wanted to talk about something that is just as important for a laundry business – the staff. Commercial laundry equipment requires scheduled maintenance to perform at its best. Likewise, staff require a different kind of nurturing to perform at their best.
As someone who oversees a business, I have come to realise people perform at their best when working with those who have a strong sense of camaraderie with each other.
Yes, money and fringe benefits might help, but rely on those perks alone and you are not going to get anything more than a ‘”Show up and leave” attitude. To get your staff working at their best, you need to build a sense of team spirit, camaraderie, and a positive attitude. What better way to start the new year?
Creating the perfect work environment
There are some things you can do to create a sense of camaraderie and team spirit.
Creating cultural events that work for your staff
Cultural events are crucial for building teamwork and camaraderie within the team.
There is no shortage of team event ideas (a quick Google search will tell you that). However, the question is – What events will work for your staff? Burchell and Robin gave the best definition of camaraderie I can think of.
To paraphrase, camaraderie is when co-workers see each other as complete individuals with families, hobbies, and passions. They celebrate company and personal milestones and go out of their way to help each other.
What better way for your employees to understand one another, celebrate milestones, and encourage teamwork than through cultural events?
But of course, it is important to set the right cultural event that works for your organisation. Finding the right event is important, you can get a dozen ideas in quick time, so that is not the issue. The real challenge is making sure that the event actually works. After all, there is no point in arranging a party, if your staff are not the type that can dance!
It is important to select the right cultural event that works for your staff.
My suggestion would be to observe your staff and see what the overall mood is. For example, are they stressed? Is there no communication taking place? Once you find the problem, you can decide what would work – For example, drinks and pizza can work wonders to help staff relax.
I would also recommend you speak to your floor supervisors for some suggestions. They know their staff very well and can make some great suggestions for what can work.
But remember, the times that we live in today require social distancing and heightened health practices so make sure your workplace is all right before heading down this path.
To stay positive you should lead by example
Having a positive attitude is great, but how do you make sure that your staff carry that same attitude all day, everyday? Conducting workshops on motivation and positive thinking can help. However, I have found that the most simple and effective way for maintaining a positive attitude is to lead by example.
Sounds simple right? Well, not after working more than ten hours, dealing with blunders from your subordinates, and trying to plan for the next business quarter.
But while workshops and training programs are important, I have found that employees look to their leaders. If they see you or their immediate supervisor working with a grumpy attitude, they are not going to think positively, no matter what they heard in a training program.
The key to staying positive as a leader is to keep a vision of what you want to accomplish with your commercial laundry business. Keeping that vision in mind will help you stay positive amidst all your problems. It will also bleed into your interactions with your employees and floor supervisors, and they will follow your example.
Why does it matter?
I am sure you have ambitious goals and business objectives for the year 2021. However, you are not going to get there without setting the right workplace culture. Research has shown that a camaraderie and a positive attitude can go a long way in boosting productivity in your business. Close friendships at work boost work satisfaction by over 50 percent, and those who have a best friend at the workplace are seven times more likely to stay engaged in their work.
Building that sense of camaraderie begets trust and it is crucial for getting people to work together. Without a sense of team spirit, camaraderie, and a positive attitude, it would be impossible to reach your goals.
To learn more about business operations that improve commercial laundry, visit Bundle Laundry.