It's no secret that a major element that will set your store apart is your staff. As your store grows, your employees become more and more important as they, rather than you, are the ones on the front lines interacting with customers and representing your store's values. 

In order for you to attract and retain quality employees its important that they feel valued, fulfilled and inspired at work. And lucky for smaller retailers with limited budgets, fostering a positive work environment for employees it isn't all about the paycheck. According to a recent survey of employees, compensation is important, but possibly not as important as you think. Financial compensation is ranked as a top retention factor by 72 percent of employees. Benefits are on top for 74 percent. Those are big numbers, but others are bigger.

Right along with these numbers, 72 percent of employees are looking for growth opportunities at work, even if they are stressful.  Along those same lines, 87 percent are looking for work fulfillment, and 92 percent of employees are looking for career development opportunities. Here are some chances for you to meet some needs. Think about what is undone at your store-–or what would not be done if you didn’t do it-–but is something that could certainly be done by someone other than you. I would bet that in the time it takes you to read this blog you could list a dozen things that fit this criteria. How many of these tasks could your staff take on with the right training and development? 

The survey also revealed that 93 percent of employees are focused on work/life balance. Retail comes with scheduling challenges that other businesses don’t have. You have to be open when your customers want to shop and in most cases that means evenings and weekends. That will create a challenge with some on your staff. However, you can still help staff balance work and life by being as open and flexible as you can to help them schedule work around the days or evenings that mean the most to them. Help build a schedule around recurring family or personal activities. The effort that you make for your employees will pay off with the smiles and the sales that they generate.