In light of high employee turnover, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to establish a positive culture that prioritizes employee satisfaction. To tackle this challenge, numerous jewellery companies are redirecting their focus from mundane tasks towards creating an environment that fosters employee comfort within the workplace.

Treating Employees Like Family

The business of selling jewellery demands significant employee involvement, as it is a highly intimate enterprise. For employees to effectively convey the appropriate emotions to the client, they must feel a deep sense of connection with, and belonging to, their workplace. “We are open seven days a week; we work on Sundays too. To keep the pressure off our employees, we do not enforce any strict policies on them; we treat them like family. Our people trust us in times of need; sometimes they seek help with their child's education, or seek financial aid for other purposes. They let us know and we try to help them out. This healthy equation has resulted in our sales increasing every year,” says Gagandeep Khurana, Sham Jewellers, Chandigarh.

Employee Happiness is Key to Success

There is no denying that employees may encounter office politics or go through times when they are in low spirits. To combat this, companies find innovative ways to get past the hurdle. “For me, employee happiness is not a one-day, one-event affair; it is an ongoing process. I believe an employee should feel happy while working in the store. So, if I ever find an employee looking upset, I ask them to go have a snack of their choice and come back. I also often give my employees different names. Sometimes I call them using their kids names to keep the mood light,” says Sumeet Anand, Punjabi Saraf Jewellers, Indore.

“A happy employee equals a happy customer,” says Saket Keshri, Ratnalaya Jewellers, Patna. “And to keep our employees happy, we organize singing and dancing competitions, where we get to see the other side of the employees and get to know their personality traits. We also have surprise pizza parties, where no one is informed beforehand, and suddenly 100 pizzas come in. This makes them ecstatic. I believe that my firm should be able to offer employees the most value for their time spent in the organization,” he adds.

Motivation and Energy can be Induced

Lack of motivation and energy among employees is another problem that business owners have to face. There are different ways in which jewellers tackle this problem. “Generally, we reserve the last day of the month for fun-filled activities with employees. On this day, we recognize the efforts our employees have put in towards the attainment of goals that are set at the start of the month. We also have dances, singing performances, mimicry, dumb charades, and games. The winners of these competitions are showcased in the monthly in-house magazine,” says Sumeet Khimji, Khimji Jewellers, Bhubaneswar.

By providing opportunities to employees to have fun and engage in team-building activities, organizations create a positive work culture. Vandana Saraf, Aisshpra Gems & Jewels, Gorakhpur, says, “We frequently have games and team-building projects to encourage team bonding. We organize Chinese whispers, cricket matches, jewellery puzzles, jewellery housie, and so on. We feel these events enhance creativity, improve concentration and help to motivate employees, and enhance their productivity.”

Stepping out of the Routine to Recharge

The jewellery market is known for its fluctuations, with periods of high sales followed by periods of low demand. To overcome the lows, jewellers believe in breaking the routine and indulging in engagement activities. “Last December, we saw a downtime where the customer turnouts were very low. To boost the team, we took them out for a movie. The next day, I noticed they were rejuvenated and even made calls to their loyal customers, even though making calls is not a part of their profile,” says Keshri.

“For us, staff engagement activities have resulted in better on-floor performances of employees. We now have fewer underperformers, better customer engagement, more qualitative feedback, much happier customers, and an overall improvement in business performance. Moreover, there is a reduction in attrition rates,” adds Khimji.

In conclusion, it is clear that creating a positive work culture that prioritizes employee satisfaction and well-being is crucial for the success of any business. By investing time in their employees, businesses can reap significant benefits in terms of improved productivity, customer engagement, and overall business performance.