Using Feedback to Improve Staff Performance

The C-Store and Service Station business is a people business.

We often talk about the "customer" and how we can improve our customer service to keep them coming back and spending more with us each visit.

We shouldn't forget about our "frontline staff", the people who actually serve the customer and have a great influence on what the customer sees and feels when they visit your stores. Your staff are very important; they keep the store clean, well stocked, perform transactions efficiently, meet your customer's expectations and make sales. If they didn't do these things effectively then your business suffers.

SO how do you lead and manage this very important "people" resource?

Naturally there is an induction training and assessment process. However, many operators neglect to continue observing their staff and providing feedback to them every day, every week, every year. Feedback is very important in the scheme of things.

What does feedback do for you, the operator?

  • Reinforces desired behaviour.
  • Provides an opportunity to enhance an individual's strength.
  • Enables you to guide an individual towards improvement.
  • Helps you build an individual's self-esteem.
  • Develops a relationship based on honesty, respect and trust.

Motivating your staff can be one of the most profitable leadership skills a Retail Operator could utilize. Not only will staff be more productive they will want to perform well and be prepared to "go that extra mile".

People generally do not perform or perform poorly because they either:

  • Do not have the ability
  • Haven't been shown and coached properly, or
  • Because they do not want to do it.

The major problem in most situations is lack of motivation, not lack of ability.

The easiest way to do this is to "Catch them doing something right" or "almost right" and to build a culture of feedback and recognition.

The feedback process isn't just looking for positive reinforcement, it's also about being able to adjust behaviour and improve work performance. When you observe your staff members and find areas where performance can be improved, you would use feedback to coach them and guide them. Feedback is about having a conversation not a lecture.

Beware, providing feedback is not discipline. When you wish to employ discipline with a staff member you would arrange a counselling session. This usually means that "feedback" processes were either never used or failed.

When discipline, misconduct or continued poor performance is the issue, the Store Operator should be conducting a counselling session with appropriate written documentation.

There is a simple four step process that can be used to hold an informal feedback conversation.

1. Clearly describe, using only the facts the behaviour or performance you have observed.
2. Agree with the person the positive or negative impact that their behaviour or performance is having on themselves, their colleagues and the operations of the business.
3. Clearly state either; how you want the behaviour to be changed if it is below standards or continued if it meets and exceeds expectations.
4. Describe the positive effect of changing or continuing the behaviour.

atmp training & skill development includes the skill of developing staff motivation, coaching and feedback in their Leadership and Performance Management Programs. Used effectively feedback really can lift business performance through motivated, happy work teams.

Actively look for your staff performing well. It's what your customers notice and what you would want repeated. Tell your staff how well they have performed.

Keep all your feedback short and simple, so that the staff member will remember it later.

Use balanced feedback. A simple technique would be to use the 'praise sandwich'. When intending to give constructive feedback always give the praise first. Follow this with the constructive feedback and finish with praise again.

In the final analysis the outcome you are looking for is to build the staff member's self-esteem, recognise their achievements and provide opportunities for empowerment through developing and improving their skills.


 

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