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70 July 2014 | beautystorebusiness.com IT'S TIME FOR AN ATTITUDE CHECK Part-timers offer distinct advantages. And maybe you're enthused about your own. But are they returning the favor? Are they happy about being in your work- place? If the answers are negative, your profits may suffer because bad attitudes are contagious. Customers who encoun- ter unhappy, unmotivated part-timers will take their business elsewhere. And part-timers are often the first— and only—contact the public has with your business. "Customers don't care whether an employee is part-time or full- time," warns Glanz. "People judge your business by how well they are treated, not by how many hours the employees are putting in." And customers will only be treated well if your part-timers feel good about what they are doing. HIRE THE RIGHT STAFF FROM THE BEGINNING How can you build a staff of happy part-timers? Start by hiring the right people in the first place. "The most important decision you make is who to allow in the door to help you take care of customers," says Mel Kleiman, director of Humetrics (humetrics.com), a Houston-based employment-consulting firm. "The biggest mistake business own- ers make is not taking part-time hiring as seriously as full-time hiring. You have to realize the importance of part-time positions and not short-circuit the hiring process. Do the same things for select- ing part-timers as you do for selecting regulars." Smart hiring means not only curating the applicant pool, but also forming a clear vision of what you need. "You don't go grocery shopping without a list," states Kleiman. "Before you leave home you look at a recipe to see what ingredients you need. Take the same approach when hiring part-timers: What key ingredients will you need to make your hire successful?" And don't wait until the last minute. "It's a mistake to go grocery shopping when you are hungry," adds Kleiman. "You end up buying the wrong food. In the same way, don't just start look- ing for part-timers when you need them. When you are forced to make a fast decision, you end up hiring great applicants instead of great employees." There's a critical difference between the two categories, Kleiman explains. "Great applicants can start work today or tomorrow. Great employees are working someplace else and want to give their current employers notice," he notes. FIRST-DAY DUTIES Attracting the best quality part-timers is one thing. Making sure they don't jump ship to a competitor is something else. It's important to design a smooth transition into your workforce so the new arrival feels welcome, says Kleiman. "Realize the new part-time worker is important and invest the time to bring the individual on board." Your goal is to make the new hire an evangelist for your company. Kleiman explains, "Every new employee at end of the first day will be asked one question by everyone: 'How was your day?' We know what we want the answer to be: 'It was terrific. It was the best decision I ever made. I would like to get a full-time job there.' " Creating such enthusiasm begins with the arrival of the individual to your workplace. "The first hour should not be just sitting in an office looking at videos and filling out paperwork," says Kleiman. Instead, make the first conversation about the employee, discussing the indi- vidual's goals. Remember that the very nature of a part-time worker involves two distinct duties: duty to the job and duty to a personal life. Your job is to understand the latter and make sure the two loyalties do not end up in conflict. One way to bring the two into productive engagement is to deliberately involve families whenever you can in business activities. "Part-time employees are prob- ably giving up family time to put in hours that are needed," says Glanz. "Find ways to involve the families in some way and show they are appreciated." Here's an example: One employer sent a gift certificate to a worker's family, explaining the importance of a certain project and how grateful the company was that the family member had contrib- uted. "Here is a check," stated the card. www.MalibuC.com | 1.800.622.7332 PRESCRIPTIVE WELLNESS TREATMENTS HAIR SCALP SKIN 100% vegan gluten sulfates parabens propylene glycol DEA FREE OF: Normal & Dry Skin Hydrate Exfoliators Masques Tattoos wellness solutions wellness solutions wellness solutions Sensitive Skin Acne wellness solutions ink well wellness solutions ness solutions malibu C ® Color Hard Water Blondes Swimmers Hair Repair Scalp P a r t T i m e W o r k e r s _ A F u l l T i m e C h a l l e n g e . i n d d 7 0 Part Time Workers_A Full Time Challenge.indd 70 6 / 3 / 1 4 4 : 4 5 P M 6/3/14 4:45 PM