Just as successful people have tricks that help keep themselves motivated and feeling good, successful businesses also employ methods to keep their staff happy and motivated. These simple methods can go a long way towards maintaining good morale among your staff members.
Annual Events and Recognition: Some companies hold an annual picnic, inviting the staff, students, and their families out for a day of relaxing fun. They use this opportunity to recognize their employees in front of their friends and family, presenting awards and certificates to thank them for their excellent service to the community and for a job well done at the studio.
Events like an annual picnic, an occasional “goodie” day, or a movie night create a feeling of camaraderie among staff members. While it's important to conduct business professionally, it’s equally important to make time for fun and entertainment.
Show Your Staff Respect: Many students work their way up through the ranks to become members of the staff at the very school where they trained. This can be beneficial to the school owner, who knows the history of their employee’s martial arts training. However, these shining examples of martial arts students are often at increased risk for criticism by the very people who brought them up through the ranks.
School owners often have difficulty thinking of these folks as anything but students. When they don’t perform as well on the business end of things as they did on the studio floor, they become the target of exceptionally harsh words and criticism. Treat your “student-turned-employee” with the same courtesy and respect that you would treat any other respected employee or paying student. If you must offer constructive criticism, do it in private. Never reprimand or criticize your employees in front of their class or co-workers.
Use Newsletters to Recognize Staff: A newsletter offers a perfect opportunity to recognize your staff’s accomplishments both in the school and in the community. Use it to introduce new staff members by printing their picture and a small biography about them. Thank your employees for a job well done whenever you get an opportunity. Always let them know how much you appreciate them.
Make Your Staff Feel Important: You may have noticed the trend towards politically correct job titles. At first, the concept sounded a bit silly. For instance, the person who gathers our trash each week is now known as the sanitation engineer. This simple change in title added an air of sophistication to an important, yet not so glamorous job description.
The same holds true for your staff. This is an effective, inexpensive way to help your staff members feel like an important part of your team. Don’t just call them instructors; title them “chief instructor” or “black belt instructor.” If you have an office staff, designate them as “executive assistant,” “program director,” or “director of activities.” Go one step further and present them with personalized business cards bearing their new titles. These aren’t very expensive and can really go a long way in keeping morale high among your staff, as well as promoting loyalty to your school.
Encourage Feedback and Ideas from Your Staff: A great way to help members of your staff feel important is to encourage them to share their ideas on improving your school program with you. Just sit back and watch what happens to their school spirit when they see one of their ideas implemented at your school.
Keep Your Staff Posted on School Information: It’s important to keep your staff advised of all upcoming activities. They need to feel that they are a valuable part of your team and privy to the “inside” scoop. They particularly need to be kept current on new promotional incentives you have in the works. This is important in their dealings with studio customers. If your staff doesn’t seem to know what’s going on with your studio, it embarrasses them and looks bad on you and your school. It’s important for them to have their facts straight.Learn simple yet powerful methods to keep your martial arts school staff happy and motivated. From annual events and respectful treatment to encouraging feedback and keeping them informed, these strategies will help maintain high morale and loyalty among your team.