Owning a business isn’t easy. However, Aloha Construction was founded by Dave Farbaky in 2008 and has been doing business in Lake Zurich, Illinois for almost 10 years, so they must be doing something right. When we took a look at their business model, it is clear that creating a strong team of close-knit employees is one of their core values.
Aloha Construction focuses on building a strong company culture that promotes a tight-knit team and quality relationships that go beyond just business. Running a company with long-term, happy employees can make all the difference between success and failure, so we put together a list of Aloha Construction’s 4 ways to make your employees your family in your own small business.
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1.Offer life-long positions
The longer an employee stays at your business, the better you will get to know them and their families. That’s why it is important to offer life-long positions to new employees, to incentivize them to stay with you instead of leaving to another company.
You don’t want your small business to be a revolving door of temporary workers. Those workers will have no stake in the outcome of a project, and will not care about the success of the company because their future doesn’t depend on it. When you have employees staying at your business for 10 or 20 or 30 years, those employees will speak their mind and take responsibility and pride in both their own work and the direction that the business is going. Lifelong employees will embody the values of the company culture, whereas temporary workers may not.
2. Offer training
How do you get your employees to stay for years and remain loyal to your company in today’s culture of job-hopping? To do so, it is essential to offer training and a clear path to move up in the company. People like to stay with what they’re familiar, but if your small business only offers a dead-end job, with no opportunity to take on more responsibilities or make more money as the years pass, many great and qualified minds will leave your business for greener pastures.
At Aloha Construction, Dave gives his team extensive training and management to assure they can reach high-grossing positions in the six-figure range. This includes, for example, rigorous home improvement training from the Vinyl Siding Institute to become Certified Installers. By investing in the training and careers of their employees, Aloha Construction ensures their workers will always be able to advance in the company and will be excited to invest their work, time, and careers back into the business.
3. Offer rewards for good work
Another way to make your employees your family is by offering rewards as an incentive for good work. The reward can be big or small, valuable or just a small token. The important thing is that everyone wants to be appreciated, and everyone wants to feel valued.
If an employee regularly goes above and beyond and gets no recognition, eventually they’re going to stop, or even worse, leave to find a business who will appreciate them properly. Treat your team to monthly or quarterly dinners, reward hard workers with an employee of the month plaque, and above all, make sure your company culture fosters positivity and praise for everyone on the team.
4. Bond with employees outside of work
The quickest way to make your employees your family, according to Aloha Construction, is to show them that you care about them more than just the bottom line. Treat them like people, which means getting to know them, their spouses, and their kids, and spend time together outside of work.
Aloha Construction achieves this by taking their best performers on an annual week-long retreat to Maui, Hawaii. They don’t scrimp and just pay for the employees, either, instead they take their families and children to, so they can all enjoy it and make lasting memories together. The week is full of beaches, bonding, and rest and relaxation, with no talk of roofing, siding, or gutters. Treat your employees like family, and they will become your family. Get to know them, get to know their families, and spend quality time with them outside of the professional relationship.
Aloha Construction has made it part of their mission to ensure that every employee at the business becomes part of the family. They do so by offering life-long positions to employees to earn their loyalty, and by offering room for advancement in the company and the field with training, certifications, and promotions. Aloha Construction also recommends offering rewards for top performers and fostering a culture of positivity in the workplace to show regular appreciation for employees and the hard work they give to your business. Finally, the best way to make your employees your family is by spending quality time with them outside of work, to rest, relax, recharge, and most importantly to create a real and lasting bond that’s stronger than just a professional acquaintance.
If you’re a small business owner hoping for success in your field, take these tips from Aloha Construction and learn how to turn your company into a family. The budget and the bottom line are important to your business’s success, but so are the people who work there. If you want your employees invested in the growth of your company, they need to have a stake or an incentive to do so. A revolving door of employees coming in and out won’t ensure quality work or customer support, and will even waste your time with new hires and training over and over throughout the years. Invest in your employees. Listen to their wants and needs. Treat them as people and not as just another line in the budget, and your employees will become your family.
