Generations Blog

Last week, I spent some time with Roger, the manager of a successful clothing store that targets teens. As you might imagine, most of his employees are 25 and younger. He has the remarkable distinction, however, of retaining his average associate for more than two years. This, in an industry that is known for losing its employees within four to five months.

I asked him, “What is your secret?”

“I guess it’s a lot of little things,” he said. “We’re flexible with hours. We pay a decent wage. We have fun, and I try to make the work meaningful.”

“What do you mean by meaningful?” I asked.

“The most important thing I think I do is to show each one how we make money. After all, that’s why we’re in business,” he said.

“Can you give me an example?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said. “I try to teach each employee how the business operates. Most of the people I hire are high school graduates who don’t have a lot of formal training. So I show them how we buy inventory, the bills we pay, how we advertise, and other stuff I do on a day-to-day basis. After all, when there’s not a lot of traffic in the store, I have time to show them stuff one-on-one.”

“Doesn’t that take a lot of time,” I asked.

“Not at all,” he replied. “If I have to buy some advertising or do a little bookkeeping, there’s nothing wrong with letting them watch or listen in. I can teach and do at the same time. For all I know, they might go into retailing or use the knowledge in another business.”

“Are you ever afraid someone is going to steal your secrets?” I asked.

“What secrets,” he laughed. “I can tell them everything I know about running the business and it wouldn’t make a difference. It’s all in the execution. Besides, the more they learn, the more they tend to stick around. It’s got to be better than punching the clock in fast food.” Next week: How being specific in his feedback helps Roger improve his Millennial employees’ work ethic.