This week’s case study is about another retailer…this time the Men’s Warehouse is showcased. Wow! A retailer that gets it. Right along with Southwest Airlines, Men’s Warehouse takes their staff seriously and actually cares.
Training is heavy at this retailer, at least it was in the mid-1990s. If I worked there and I heard that I could travel, all expenses paid, for training and mixing and mingling with the corporate staff.. Boy howdy! wouldn’t that be great movitation!
Training programs really show how much a company invests in their human resources. I’ve heard of companies that just throw someone in the pool and shout, “SWIM!” What amazes me how those companies wonder why their staff flail, work hard at treading water and ultimately drown while asking for a lifesaver. How about teaching someone how to swim, the temperature of the water and where the sharks hang out?
Although each new hire comes to the company with their set of skills, talents and experiences, each company has its processes, rules, behaviors, culture. Some of those things are written and most are tribal knowledge. If there is no training or coaching, the learning curve is much higher and steeper.
As I’ve said many times before, when management takes care of the staff, the staff will take care of the customers, who then reward management with increased sales and longer customer loyalty.
I realize that the shareholders want their investment to pay off. I totally get that. What I don’t get is why many executive managers and middle managers seem to be blind that the staff want the company to be successful too. No company–no job/career. It’s the people that make the company, not the shareholders.
Ever hear of a customer writing to the company to say what a great job that shareholder did? Or complained about a shareholder? I never have. But customers write letters and emails about the staff. Customers interact with staff.
Want to really impact the top and the bottom lines? Invest in the staff.
Thanks for reading.
Elaine
