👥 Employees
Good people stay where they're trained and noticed. Turnover is usually a management problem wearing a hiring costume.
Quick win · 2 minutes · today
Notice one thing, out loud.
Today, tell one employee — specifically — one thing they did well. Not "good job." "The way you handled that upset customer at 2 o'clock — that was exactly right." Do it again tomorrow with someone else. Recognition is free and it's the #1 reason people stay.
What actually works
- Hire for attitude, train for skill. You can teach the register. You can't teach "shows up and cares."
- One page of "how we do it." Not a manual. One page. Greeting, the three most common tasks, what to do when you're unsure.
- Show, then watch, then let go. Do it with them once, watch them do it once, then trust them.
- Post the schedule a week ahead. Same day every week. Unpredictable hours are why good people leave.
- The one-question check-in. Once a week: "What's making your job harder than it needs to be?" Then fix one thing.
AI prompt
Write a short, honest job ad for a [role] at my [type of business] in [town]. Pay is $[amount]/hr, hours are [hours]. Lead with what makes it a good place to work, be clear about what the job actually involves, and end with a simple way to apply. Under 150 words, no corporate language.
Templates — ready to use
First-day checklist
☐ Where things are (restroom, break area, supplies)
☐ How we greet customers (say it, then watch them say it)
☐ The 3 most common tasks — do each one together
☐ What to do when you're not sure (ask [name]; never guess with a customer)
☐ Their schedule for next week, in writing
☐ End of day: "How did today feel? What was confusing?"
Recognition — say it in person
[Name], the way you [specific thing they did] — that's exactly what I want this place to be. Thank you.
Schedule message (same day every week)
Schedule for [week of date] is posted/attached. If anything doesn't work, tell me by [day] so I can fix it. Thanks, team.
Weekly one-question check-in
Quick one: what's making your job harder than it needs to be right now? Anything — big or small. I'll try to fix one thing this week.
"How we do it" — one-page skeleton
HOW WE DO IT AT [BUSINESS]
1. Greeting: "[the exact words]" within 10 seconds.
2. Task A ([most common]): [3 steps]
3. Task B: [3 steps]
4. Task C: [3 steps]
5. Not sure? Ask [name]. Never guess with a customer.
6. Closing: [3 steps]
Examples
Illustrative examples — not promises. Your results depend on your business.
Restaurant: the owner started posting schedules two weeks out instead of two days. Two servers who'd been "looking around" stopped looking.
Retail: a one-page "how we do it" cut new-hire questions in half and let the owner take her first Saturday off in a year.
Auto shop: a weekly "what's making your job harder?" surfaced a broken lift nobody had mentioned for months. Fixed it; morale followed.
Related
Next step
Recognize one person today. Write the one-page "how we do it" tomorrow.
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