Here’s One More Thing to Do
If you are the owner of a plantscaping business you know how hard it is to get everyone on the same page.  Oh, you have your weekly meetings and there’s the Company Manual but, still, it’s a challenge to get everyone feeling comfortable about the company status and the future.  In other words, Bucky, what have you done about employee morale lately?  Keeping employees well informed and feeling good about the company and their job is tricky.  Some companies that have 20 or more employees have an in house newsletter that is distributed once a month.  Desktop published, it introduces and welcomes new employees, lists momentous occasions such as birthdays and graduations, applauds a salesperson for meeting goals or getting a new account and so on.  The key factor here is that everyone likes to be recognized and there is nothing more pleasing to the eye and ear than the sound of one’s own name.

 Still other companies have the Annual Holiday Party.  This doesn’t have to be an expensive affair; just a way of winding down after a pressure filled few weeks of Holiday installs.  We used to have a “Trashing of the Poinsettias” hoop toss.  There were small prizes and a lot of laughs.  Held at a local bowling alley, everyone dressed casual had a great barbecue dinner and a great time.  Sometimes this was the only time some of the techs in outlying territories got to meet and greet other techs.  We also had a Summer Picnic.  This event was held at a farm owned by one of our employees.  We brought in food and games and everyone including families was invited.   One  opportunity afforded by a get together with everyone there is to acknowledge outstanding employees in front of their families.   What pride .

Still other companies have a Night at the Ballgame.  Whatever form it takes, company social events like this, when well thought out, can be very unifying and foster an atmosphere of teamwork that carries over into the workplace.  And, by the way, don’t let these wonderful moments disappear into the ether.  Appoint someone company photographer and keep a record of these events.  Someday when we are all in Green Acres (the Retirement Home for Interiorscapers), you’ll want to pull out all those memories along with pictures of your grandkids.  I mean, your company is your baby too.

The Company Retreat 
Another way we’d keep everyone in the loop was to every couple of year’s hold a Company Retreat.  A local university located in a beautiful rural setting just a few miles from our city had a lodge and rooms available for just this purpose.  Check out your nearby state parks.  They might offer similar accommodations.  We’d go on Saturday and leave on Sunday spending one night.  For this type of meeting preparation and execution is everything.  We would formulate an agenda that dealt with all the immediate concerns as well as the long-term stuff.  Attendees would include owner(s), Ops Managers, Sales, Office Manager, and so on.  And, because we didn’t want to just be going in circles for two days, we would hire a professional facilitator to lead the meeting.

What would we talk about?  Long range plans for the company, how we could grow, what procedures made sense, you name it.  Everyone had an opportunity well in advance to provide topics they wanted to cover.  Various people were asked to give status reports, you get the idea.  This was far more than recognizing employees, it said that we valued their opinion and that they were a major part of the Company.  Did it work?  The first year we were not highly successful.  My fault.  It’s hard as an owner to hear people telling you that not every idea you have is golden.  However, by the second year we were much better and by the fourth time it was terrific.  And the fallout, if you work it properly, is amazing.  Everyone feels empowered.  Their ideas and comments are being heard.  Pretty heady stuff.

 Warning
Now, a word of warning - Do not try this approach if you are unwilling to let others have a say or if you tend to shoot every idea down.  If that is your situation, go back to the ballgames and picnics.  If you do decide to try this, however, let the facilitator do his job and listen, listen, listen.  Truth is that whether picnic, retreat, or newsletter you need to thank the people you work with and do it, whenever appropriate, in front of others.

Ring Them Bells
I knew a Sales Manger at one of the larger companies who, whenever one of the sales staff reached their goal or sold an account, she would ring a huge bell.  The sound would echo throughout the office.  It got a few laughs but everyone knew that so and so had done something terrific.  It was very inspiring.

Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger

What’s a Tri-TOP?  Well, in my never-ending quest to find a new place to put plants we introduced Tri-TOPs, the triangular planter from TOPsiders.  Got a corner in a cubicle you’d like a plant?  Sidemount a Tri-TOP.  Want an unusual shape atop a file cabinet?  Place a series of three Tri-TOPs.  Looking for a different type of wall planter?  Yep, Tri-TOPs!  And, for the ultimate in the unusual, think of all those long narrow office hallways.  No room for a floor plant?  Mount two or three Tri-TOPs above each other in the corner and create a living “fountain of greenery”.  Tri-TOPs come in all our standard colors except for black and none of the metallic finishes, they hold one six inch plant.