Those who find themselves outside of the retail industry may think that only the product being sold is important. While a good marijuana product certainly will set a company up for some measure of success, there is another factor which should be considered.
This being the employees that are selling the product the dispensaries. These people are the first point of contact for customers, and as such, well-trained employees can be incredibly valuable assets. These people can make or break your business, and they should be viewed as indispensable.
It is easy to understand that good employees should be held onto, but how would one go about keeping these skilled people on, thus optimizing the company’s turnover?
Ensure that they are trained correctly
Employees who feel like there is no room for growth in their current positions will land up feeling trapped in their jobs. This may not seem like a huge concern, but the morale of your employees will have a direct impact on their performance.
One way you can prevent this from occurring is to continually invest in the education of your employees. Marijuana may be quite a new industry, but this offers its own opportunities. There is no real framework that you have to adhere to, and as such, you can create one that works specifically for you.
If you were to offer your employees opportunities to further their education and training, they will not only be more competent, but they will also be more confident. As the cannabis market grows, so does the competition among dispensaries.
Employee benefits such as this will mark your dispensary out among the rest, making it an attractive place to work for potential employees that have a real desire to succeed in the marijuana industry.
Strive to pay your employees more than your competitors would
It may seem like upping your employees’ salaries, and wages will have a negative impact on your profit line, but in this regard, you need to set your sights a little further down in the future.
Yes, an increase in wages will make for greater operational costs for your marijuana dispensary but what will the positive effects be on your employees? In simple terms, your employees will overall be happier in their jobs.
They will be less inclined to leave and will want to see their dispensary succeed because an enduring business will mean job and income security for them.
It is important to foster a relationship of trust between you and your employees. This means that you should not be paying the bare minimum. Hard work should be rewarded tangibly.
Make space for growth in the business
While we may be living in a world that is predominantly capitalist, money is not everything. It is important, yes, but it is not the only factor that a person looks at when taking a job.
If the person is serious about their future, they will look at what kind of opportunities there are for advancement. If you are going to have a marijuana dispensary that is both successful and thriving, then you want employees who are looking for a career in the industry and not just a job.
The only way that you can make your dispensary attractive in this regard is to have a structure in place that allows for career advancement for your employees. This structure can be built in any way, but it should be largely based on the performance and length of service of your employees.
This kind of incentivized system will make for employees that work harder and people that are more satisfied with their employment.
Include corporate culture in your business model
Marijuana has not been legalized for an excessively long period of time, and as such, a person may not be inclined to think of a marijuana dispensary as a real business. As a dispensary owner, you should be trying to dispel this kind of misconception.
You are running a business, and as such, you should be trying to model your business-like large corporation do. This includes having a structure within the business, providing employee benefits, have a hierarchy in place that promotes leadership and such like.
This will make your employees feel like they are a part of something bigger. They will not feel like they are wasting time in a small-time enterprise but will rather see it as they are contributing and working for a real and formidable organization.
Remember that life happens
People need to work to make a living so that they can support their lifestyle. Most of the time, this lifestyle will include some family. On the whole, people want to spend time with these families. They do not want to feel like work is their entire life.
If you are going to have content employees in your marijuana dispensary, then you need to bear in mind that these people do have lives. If these people do not have a healthy balance between work and the rest of their lives, then they will not be fully present when they are at work.
This will make for underperforming employees. By creating flexible work schedules and ensuring that when these people are not at work, then they will not be bothered with work, then you will have employees that will properly devote themselves when they are on the clock.
Acknowledge their value and act accordingly
If you are fortunate enough to have employees that are both hardworking and who care about your marijuana dispensary, then you should acknowledge this.
You should treat these people with the same respect that they are showing towards your business. They are contributing greatly to your success, and they should be treated with kindness and consideration because of this fact.
