Last Saturday Deb and I watched one of our granddaughters take her first holy communion. Our granddaughter wore a beautiful white lace dress and her pretty face beamed. It was a heartwarming event for so many reasons. The church was filled with families and friends.
We also watched our two-week-old grandson get baptized on Sunday. He was so peaceful during the baptism. The first communion and baptism provided positive hope.
Our community has so many positive events like this. There are plays, dance recitals, charity organization meetings, youth, and other sporting events, and the list goes on. Community support remains high for positive activities.
The same can be said about support for positive business experiences. If we enjoy business experiences, we tend to support them. A great example is quality restaurants. The decision to go back hinges on so many variables.
An important variable is a good service. Not the fake service to get a tip, but genuine service. It includes being allowed to pick our place to sit and pleasing background music. Not the loud stuff! Comfortable temperatures are a must. Food orders should be delivered warm and in a reasonable amount of time. If any basic service needs are abused, we may become the customer that does not go back. Odds are you may be nodding in agreement?
Quality service in any business requires fully understanding and meeting or exceeding the needs of customers. There should never be ongoing excuses. It takes hard work and dedication. That leadership typically starts at the top with owners or managers that have set the examples. The owners then must be willing to generously share profits so they can invest in great employees, which are the reasons businesses are successful.
Responsible employees deserve to get rewarded with good pay and benefits because they are worth more. They have less absenteeism and drama. They are more productive and have fewer mistakes. It’s easy to show them ongoing recognition and appreciation.
It’s also easy for quality employees to remain with a company that treats them well and respects their abilities. Companies must always understand family comes first for all employees. The work has to get completed somehow, but there can usually be given and take. If the working relationship has rewards and respect, there is no reason to ever part ways. Why leave?
Companies that understand these important basic “ingredients” to success will also get rewarded by their employees in return. The John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s team did just that last week with their support which resulted in an award to John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s as the Best Place to Work for medium sized business!
The Best Place to Work award is sponsored by the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association, Woods & Aitken LLP, and the Lincoln Journal Star. Winning this humbling award is especially meaningful.
So, what is it like to be a part of a company that has won the Best Place to Work award? Basically, it’s easier to manage a business with a happy team. It’s more rewarding to everyone involved…. including our customers. There are more laughs and fun.
An example of a fun thing we do is our traveling pink donkey trophy called Johnny Potty Mouth. If someone slips and uses foul language it lands on their desk until the next person “earns” it. The result is profanity somewhat disappeared in a fun way!
About five years ago we asked what else can we be doing to better meet the needs of all of our customers? Since many needed weekend service we decided to offer 7 days a week service from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM with no overtime plus 24-hour service. The challenge was staffing weekends and we asked our team for creative ways to do that.
We knew we could count on suggestions from our team that has saved lives and continues to protect the health of our community. They take their responsibilities seriously. Some suggested 4 ten-hour days and other coverage. It ended up being a Win Win Win situation for all.
Awards also result in better applicants that want to work for a great company. By the way, we are seeking apprentice plumbers that we will train “the John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s way”!
Because of our wonderful customers and the John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s team we exist. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has made the awards we earned possible.
You are appreciated!
