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How Do You Attract Staff?
Florists share their tips and struggles |
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Written by Rebecca Schwarz
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In our August/September issue, Canadian Florist asked
florists across the country to name the one tool they couldn’t live
without. More than a few listed their staff as an invaluable resource
when it comes to getting a job done and keeping a business running. But
how do you recruit, train, and retain top people? And what should you
do if can’t find the right employee to join your team?
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Finding good help is a big challenge for florists. Many applicants underestimate what it takes to work at a florist.
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Madeline Varley, co-owner of Appleby Family Florists LTD. in Burlington, Ont. is a florist struggling to keep her shop staffed. Varely is faced with the task of replacing long-term staff who have recently retired. “We’re having trouble,” she admits. “We have a sign in our window right now, and it has been there for probably two months, and we’ve put an ad in the paper and online. We’re looking for experienced help.”
The key word is experienced. Varley is looking for experienced employees who can solve problems independently. “I hate it when they answer the phone and say ‘just a minute’ rather than try to solve the problem. We need someone who can answer the phone, take orders, and we’re finding it difficult,” she says. Varley says the problem lies in the way that applicants view the floral industry. Candidates see the industry through rose-coloured glasses and they overlook the thorns and muck they may have to clean up. “People come in and say, oh, ‘I do flowers at home’ but no one’s actually worked in a flower shop. They think they’re going to play with flowers when it’s actually a lot of work. One couldn’t take the long hours and working on holidays.” Varely confesses that there has been a high rate of turnover in her shop lately. “Before we had long-term staff with us a long time, and we’re finding it hard to replace them. We’re just getting busier and busier.”
She feels the industry needs to train people properly for the realities of the business. “There needs to be a training school, you can’t just play with bouquets all day.” Varley says she has had disappointing experiences working with students. “They haven’t worked, they think they can do everything, they can’t take critiquing. I just wish there was somewhere they could do a co-op and learn how to work in a flower shop. Even our designers don’t just design all day; you need to know how to take orders, how to sell.”
However, the incentive to work such long, demanding hours may not be there, Varley acknowledges. “It’s not a really high-paying job because it just isn’t. You have to keep your prices down.”
Alessandro Sangiovanni is another florist experiencing staffing woes. Most of his applicants, he says, don’t even make it through the interview. And it’s not because Sangiovanni, owner of Don Belvedere Florist in Montreal, Que., is a demanding interviewer. “They don’t even show up,” he says, exasperated. At his shop, he says it’s the students who are no-shows for the interview. “Am I the only one with this problem?” he asks. Sangiovanni has advertised with local schools and online with Craigslist, but to no avail. He first tried searching for a designer seven months ago, but gave up. Now he’s trying again. His applicants include retirees looking to open their own shop, but who lack experience or training.
Van Scott, owner of Garneau Flowers Inc in Edmonton, Alta., says he hasn’t faced these problems when it comes to finding employees. “There are always people coming and applying, just word of mouth.” Scott believes a shop’s atmosphere is key to attracting and retaining good people. “There’s too many shops who run like machines, it’s the same ones advertising all the time, shops trying to make people make arrangements like in the pictures. We do custom design.”
From an employee perspective, a friendly, creative, and supportive workplace encourages people like Brenda Sidor to stay put. Sidor has been designing for Pollie’s Flowers in Edmonton, Alta. for thirty-five years. “I do everything. It’s a small shop, there are three of us, we just added another. I sweep the floor, design, whatever.” Sidor’s work ethic evolved during a different era, she explains. “We started from scratch, cleaning up, then working with customers, then designing. You really had to earn your place; you didn’t come out of school and start designing. You thought you could design, but some of the old timers put you in your place, you learned the ropes.”
She agrees with Scott that the shop’s atmosphere and the way the shop is run can impact how employees feel. “I’ve been very lucky, working in a small shop, being the only person. They let us design. At the bigger shops they gave you an order and a handful of flowers and that’s it. Here I have freedom.” Sidor feels her relationship with the shop’s owner is equally crucial. “A lot depends on the owners. Our owner, he lets us do what we do best, he works right alongside you, he picks up the flowers. There’s no yelling or screaming or pointing fingers.”
Beverley Woodburn, co-owner of New Westminster Floral Company in Coquitlam, B.C., has the ideal solution to hiring woes. Just open your own school, and poach your students. “We have our school, the Academy of Floral Design. We like to hire our graduates, they know what the owner likes and she’s pretty picky. We teach care and handling in the class, and we insist on it in the store. All our staff are graduates.”
But for those florists without the resources to open a training academy, Woodburn suggests offering your employees support and flexibility when it comes to working hours. “We have a girl whose sister passed away recently, now she’s off in Australia for her sister’s funeral. We’ll support her in whatever way we can, we listen, give her the time off she needs to heal. Whatever it is that helps people get through what they got to get through. We care about people.”
Above all, says Woodburn, trust your intuition to lead you to good people. They are out there.
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