By Dorie Cross

The employees you have working in your store are just as important (if not more important) than what you have in it. These people are the ones who have a direct effect on sales, customer satisfaction and ultimately the success of your store. So how can you keep them happy and encourage them to do even better? Here are seven things we'd recommend:

1. Train them well

Are you thoroughly training your employees? Give them in-depth training so they can work to the best of their ability, and avoid frustrations and employee turnover. Show your employees that you are investing in them by retraining ones that have been with you for a while in more specialized areas.

2. Recognize them for doing good work

Affirmation of a job well done can go a long way. If your employees are doing well, tell them! The more someone hears about how they are doing a good job, the more it will make them want to go above and beyond in the future.

3. Give them incentives to do better

Consider offering bonuses or prizes to employees who are doing exceptionally well. You may also run contests to encourage harder work. This will boost employee/team morale and at the same time make your store a pleasurable work environment.

4. Ask for their input

Considering your employees are interacting with customers and selling your products or services, they are a goldmine of information. Show your employees that you value their expertise by asking for their input on how business is going.

5. Give them better tools for the job

Working with old and outdated equipment can make a job more cumbersome than it needs to be. Keep your staff happy and increase their productivity by investing in the equipment that they use on a regular basis. See what tools can be upgraded and replace them if necessary.

6. Avoid scheduling conflicts

There is no faster way to create an unhappy work environment with your employees than abusing their schedule. Remember your employees are real people and not disposable labor. As far as possible avoid last minute changes to the schedule,

7. Play games

Yes, your employees are there to work but there's no reason it can't be fun! Fun is motivational and so is competition. Combine the two into a retail sales game that meets company goals and watch your employees and sales thrive.

How do you keep your retail employees happy? Send us your tips at cs@allretailjobs.com!