5 Winning Characteristics of Employees You Keep in your Small Business

It is not easy to recruit good employees. It is even harder to train them to the standards you expect in the business.

When you read the war stories of big companies and the endless resources they spend on recruitment and retaining the winners, you'll get the picture. Google really is open about their challenges!

Winning Characteristics of Employees. Source: aesta1

Maybe some of you feel bad for employees who are related to you or have been there for years but if they don't learn anything by being there, talk to them, give them a chance, then out they go.

If they are relations and you need to help them, find ways to either help them with outside training or help them find a job that will energise them. But do NOT retain them and affect your team.

It is hard for one employee to hide in a small business. If all the employee does is play games thinking that he really is untouchable, for heaven's sake let him or her go. You don't need a heavy weight in your small business. Honestly, it just sucks out your energy and really affects your solid workers as well.

Winning Employees. Source: aesta1

So, here are the top 5 characteristics you need to find in employees you will invest in. If they don't have these, you will tank! They will just grind down your energy and stop your winners from performing well.

1. Facilitate things for others and act as a mentor
It is all in the attitude. Do you see them pitching in when they see others working hard?

Do you see them trying out ways to improve the way the work is done?

Does he or she facilitate things for the team by offering to help when others are busy?

Do you find him pouting when disturbed from his online game or his chat with friends?

Is he helpful to customers? Does he or she go out of their way to give customers a positive experience?

Does he protect your interest or only his own?

2. Flexibility
In a small business, employees cannot hide or stick to a narrow job description. You need them to do other things like answer the phone, clean up the work place, get visitors coffee and other things to make the business run.

If you have a "that's not my job" in your shop, help them to make an alternate career choice. Now. The ones you need are those who don't live on Facebook or Twitter. Keep the ones who will help you and will not mind doing odd jobs to keep the business run well.

3. Self-Motivated
Takes responsibility for not just his job but for making the work place well maintained and the business humming. If they are slackers, get rid of them.

Often, employees who have been with you for some years, have a tendency to slack. Remind them once or twice and if they persist in their gold bricking, they have no business being with you. They can be lazy or play games the whole day somewhere else.

Of course, ask them if there is a problem. They may be a bit bored and you can add some interesting additions to their job.

4. Positive attitude
Sour employees destroy your business. Sort the nonsense quickly. If you can't stop them from being critical of others and just generally bad tempered, help them find another job where they can be happy. They will seriously affect productivity.

Characteristics of Winning Employees. Source: aesta1

5. Team spirit
He or she works well with a close knit team. In a small business, each one is important in enhancing productivity and effectiveness. Bad apples?

Small businesses can afford only few employees so anyone who is a work dodger or a downer or a whiner really impacts the business. It is immediately felt by all.

A destructive behaviour is easy to mitigate in a big corporation but not in a small business so give them the old heave ho. If you are committed to help them, do so.

Take a look at how you engage your employees. Maybe the key is here. Here are some surprising ways of engaging them you might want to try.

Get on with the counseling or hide them in the stock room or pay them to stay home but do not let them eat away at the heart of your other employees attitude.

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