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The One On One
When I speak of the one on one I’m talking about talking with my employees. This is a great way to find out about problems they are having.
It is also a good way to make them feel like they are a part of a team. The one on one can solve many problems that a company may be having and should be used to get problems solved that concern employees.
How Often Should One On Ones Be Used
I personally think one on ones should be used every other week. Communicating with your employees gives them a feeling of value.
If a company is having problems then an owner may want to do them every week. There is no better way to solve company’s problems than to have the entire team pulling in the same direction to solve the problem.
When To Do One On Ones
I like to do one on ones after the employees get back to the warehouse on Thursday afternoon. The week is still fresh on their mind but you don’t want to wait till Friday because most employees are looking forward to starting their weekend.
Who Talks
This should be a give and take session with both of you talking. If the employee is the quiet type it may take some well-planned questions to get them involved in a conversation with you.
Discussing profits is always a good place to start. My company uses Rutherford and I get a copy on each routes performance every week. In the not so distant past my company was having problems with too many stale products.
I started talking about this problem with each employee and the stales have taken a very positive move for us. Remember to give the employee a chance to talk and you will probably hear, like in the stale case, where they are having problems. You then have the opportunity to help them solve the problem or at the very least you will know why things are the way they are.
Summary
The one on one is a very useful tool that every owner should employ. It has so many positive benefits. It opens up an employee. It helps the owner understand what the employee is up against and it builds a team atmosphere.
I know in many cases it has helped me to solve minor problems before they become a major problem. I would encourage all owners that are not using some sort of one on one to implement a program as soon as possible.
Hello Dennis,
ReplyDeletethank you so much for posting such valuable information about the vending business! Your experience, knowledge, and insight about the business is so amazing & priceless!! I've been in the soda/snack side of the business for 17 years and I've learned so much about the different aspects of vending by reading your website, blog, and the advice you post on a couple of different vending chat websites. Our industry needs more individuals like yourself who loves this business and really wants to teach & help others get started or help those who are already in business to become more successful, profitable and avoid common & uncommon mistakes. Your professionalism, humility, and passion for this industry is very honorable, impressive & contagious and I wish more vending veterans such as yourself would selflessly share their knowledge and experiences with curious and budding entreperneurs. Thanks again & please keep the stories of your lifetime in the food & vending industries coming!!