et care is heavily dependent on quality employees. And just like at a human hotel, one person alone cannot perform all the tasks needed to deliver quality care to numerous guests. In contrast, human hotels don’t deliver food two to three times per day, walk guests to the bathroom three or more times per day, weigh them (thank goodness) or tuck them in at night. And the more you charge, the higher the quality of pet and customer service is required.
Unfortunately, finding and keeping good employees is no easy task in this service industry segment. The hiring world has undergone massive changes during and after the pandemic. Job-seeker priorities have changed and the competition to find quality employees is fiercer than ever. And, not having the right employees can be incredibly costly to your business…
Let’s say a facility could physically house 100 dogs, but they only have the staff to care for 50. That means their revenue potential is significantly limited by a lack of quality employees—ugh!
Sure, half the battle is finding and securing viable candidates, and we hope you have people and systems in place to ensure you have the proper number of employees. But once you have great employees, the other half of the battle is retaining them. This article will outline how to keep the quality staff needed to help propel your business above the rest.
Want some great news? Some of the most common reasons people leave pet care jobs are within your control! One of the biggest desires of today’s job seekers is having career advancement opportunities. They want to belong somewhere they can develop and flourish. However, at many pet care companies, employees unfortunately see their role as a “job” and not a “career.” If so, they may not be very dedicated and may leave at the first sign of stress. But it doesn’t have to be that way…
Establishing a career advancement path for employees can tremendously affect your employee retention—and also attract better candidates in the first place. A good first step is to list all positions available within your company, even if they’re currently filled. As an owner or executive, you know the position that is filled today may not be tomorrow. People move, have personal and family issues, and change careers, among countless other reasons.
Do you have enough possible positions available? All pet care companies have pet care staff, and most companies also have an owner or general manager. But what about in-between pet care staff and top management or ownership? How many positions are available? Many of the most successful companies have at least four positions between pet care and owner or general manager. A few possible positions include senior pet care technician, pet care supervisor, senior pet care supervisor, assistant pet care manager and pet care manager. Creating these roles not only makes an advancement path for employees, it also creates additional levels of accountability and prevents too much burden on any one role or person. Since most people learn and retain information visually, I recommend you take the time to prepare a visual listing or mapping of all the positions possible within your company.
Once you’ve created career advancement opportunities, it’s important to promote them from the beginning of your hiring process. Mention advancement in your job ad and bring it up with potential candidates. You may even show or provide a copy of your career advancement chart to candidates. Also consider asking questions to determine if a candidate is career oriented. These are often the most motivated and loyal employees in the long term.
Paying higher wages elevates your company and attracts top candidates—then helps keeps them. It establishes a growth-minded work culture and generally improves employee satisfaction. Employees may also be happier, more committed and more likely to continue working with you through especially busy or stressful periods.
What about pay transparency? These laws are becoming more commonplace, with seven states enacting pay transparency measures since 2019 (Colorado, Maryland, Connecticut, Nevada, Rhode Island, Washington and California), as well as numerous municipalities. Pet care companies tend to fear pay transparency laws and culture. They envision their employees learning what others make, becoming unhappy, demanding unreasonable wages and sabotaging new hires. Unfortunately, this can happen if your company doesn’t have a clear and objective pay structure, and therefore accidentally underpays your more valuable employees.
The solution is to pay enough to attract and retain a great team, then consistently ensure all employees are paid fairly based on their objective contributions. Reliable, loyal and experienced employees should generally earn more than inexperienced new hires in the same role. Most owners and managers are well-intentioned and agree with this, but they’re often too busy or scared to take action, worried it would cost too much. It’s true that paying everyone more can cause financial stress—but only if you don’t bring in enough revenue to afford it. One big way to bring in more revenue is to charge appropriately for your services.
One of the most impactful things you can do for your revenue is charge appropriate prices. Many pet care companies don’t charge enough for their services, as they try to compete with corporate rivals. The difference between what you’re charging and what you could be charging may be enough to increase your wages.
So, are you charging enough right now? Determining the right rate requires preparation and research, but it’s incredibly worth it when done correctly. Reviewing your pricing every so often (for every service!) helps keep your business on a sustained track to success.
Embracing these concepts can have a massive impact on your employee retention (and business health). Unmotivated employees and constant turnover usually hurt customer service, the quality of pet care and even safety. On the other hand, attracting and keeping a great team can significantly improve your quality of life and business success. Ultimately, the benefits of establishing a thriving, motivated work culture can’t be overstated.
