We should give our employees business data and see what they suggest or actually do with this. I think we sometimes get caught up in micro managing and ignore the opportunity to leverage the smart and committed people we have working for us.
Here is the data I’d suggest you share with employees in a structured way:
- By employee by week (whichever is easier for you): revenue and number of sales. Be sure to divide this by hour worked as hourly sales is the real stat you want.
- By week: number of sales. As above, be sure to divide this by hour worked.
- By hour for a week: number of sales.
- Sales by selected departments for the week.
Putting this on a whiteboard in the back office gives people a guide of how they are performing and how key departments in the business are performing.
Providing access to this data can guide your employees to be more competitive with themselves. It also makes you more disciplined about gathering and reporting the data. This will enhance your understanding of the the performance of the newsagency.
Accurate data access regularly is often the difference between a successful newsagency and one not so successful.
In sharing the data, what you really want is an employee to come to you with ideas for improving their numbers and the numbers for the business. This is gold when it happens. Listen to their ideas and give them a go.
Stop being secretive about the performance of your newsagency. Your employees want it to succeed as much as you.
I really don’t see how publishing everyones sales will help.
So many variables in when and how people serve.It might be busier during someones shift so how is the number of customers served relevant or actually accurate??
I am all for giving a helping hand to staff but I don’t think this would work fairly at all and some could appear to be less proactive than what they are.
Sorry off subject but just thought you fellow newsagents might need a chuckle
I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law last night
when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper.
‘This is the 21st century, old man,’ he said.
‘We don’t waste money on newspapers.
Here, you can borrow my iPod.’
I can tell you, that bloody fly never knew what hit it
Mary it gives employees to compare against themselves. Their biggest competitor is their past history.
Interesting I asked a couple of the juniors I have what they thought they sold each week and their guess was way off. I’m going to try this and see how it goes. I reckon theyll compete with each other.