Our workforce is our strongest link to the community and yet it’s sometimes an effort to discuss the business with them. I am time-poor and my husband Mark and I work on the shop floor alongside our team every day. Orders, customers, disasters, late deliveries, paperwork, suppliers and office work often come before the very people at the front of house.
If a test purchase is carried out in our store, the chances are our staff will successfully defend our high standards, refuse the sale, record the failed purchase in our log book and carry on with their day.
If a customer becomes abusive because they are too drunk to be served, the chances are our staff will calmly handle the situation and ensure the customer leaves, record the failed purchase in our log book and carry on with their day.
If a little boy wanders in and picks an energy drink up, the chances are our staff will explain to him (and sometimes his mum) that little boys don’t need extra energy and we can only serve them to older boys and girls, record the failed purchase in our log book and carry on with their day.
No matter how much time we spend in our business, if we have a system in place and the training, support and back up we give staff is strong and consistent, they know they can tell us if they suspect a shop theft and we will follow it up and take action. Equally, if they are subjected to abuse, they know we will take action to make them feel safe.
We have a good, strong team at Wharfedale and value their hard work. We’ve learned that we can build the business and make it successful, but our staff are our foundations.
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