How to Reward Landscape and Arbor Pros
November 30, 2017
Landscaping and arbor businesses have unique employee challenges. Spring/summer seasons often required additional staff working very long hours; however, the fall/winter seasons often bring less work and possibly layoffs. How do we keep our staff motivated to work those extra hours and days during hot summers (or really cold winters for those who service customers year round)? And how do we keep them coming back to us after a winter layoff?
One of the simplest (and most effective) things landscaping and arbor businesses can do to keep employees motivated and working hard is rewarding their hard work. This is common practice for many companies across many industries but often not considered in ours. While there are a few ways you want to avoid doing this, overall if you provide employees with rewards they actually want, then you will find that they will work hard to get the job done - and get it done well – despite the long summer hours or winter layoffs.
If you are looking for ways that you can reward your employees, consider a few of these popular ideas.
Profit Sharing
Profit sharing has become very popular in recent years and it is a great way to reward your employees. With this kind of reward, they know they are working hard to not only get a share of the profits from the business but it also allows them to become more invested in the success of the business. It keeps them motivated to return in the Spring as well.
When your employees are concerned with the success of your business, they tend to work harder and remain more loyal. This can be done as a fixed amount based on years of service, contribution to the bottom line of the business, or overall company profitability each year. You can set this up as a bonus or a contribution into a retirement account on their behalf.
Bonuses
Another way to reward your employees is through traditional bonuses. This type of bonus does not have to be tied to the profits but can be linked to other milestones for the employees. You can create a sales bonus for people who reach some specific sales goals in the company or you can provide a goal for getting the most work done in a specific month. Whatever you decide to do, you need to make sure that it is something you can specifically measure such as 20 new clients or getting a certain number of client jobs completed in a set period of time. Whatever it is, keep track of it and reward the people who hit the mark every month.
Time Off
You know what employees like almost as much as money? Paid time off! And especially in the summer! You can consider providing one day off per month to the person who meets a specific goal or does the most in a certain category. Just be sure to provide them a full day of pay in lieu of the time off so they can fully enjoy taking time off instead of worrying about any upcoming bills.
Rewarding your employees for work well done is something that you and the employee benefits from. Whether they get time off to reset or you gain some employees who will work extra hard to meet marks, it is a winning situation for all.