Three Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged

Dispensary and cultivation center managers often have the luxury of hiring from a pool of applicants who are passionate about the cannabis industry and have passed exhaustive background checks. But employees need more than a deep interest and exceptional credentials to flourish in the workplace. A recent Gallup Survey says less than one-third of U.S. workers are “involved in, enthusiastic, and committed to their work and workplace.” In other words, engaged.

Engaged employees are more productive and provide better customer service. Here are three ways to help ensure your workers are “involved in, enthusiastic, and committed” to your operation.

#1: Assign employees new and meaningful responsibilities.

With such a strong focus on daily operations, dispensaries and cultivation centers can fall behind on work like documentation and outreach. You can often assign these tasks to capable staff. A long-term employee may be perfect for updating policies or manuals. During downtime, and with appropriate training, a budtender can update the organization’s social media sites. Promoting the dispensary, posting links to cannabis-related news stories, or announcing job openings are all valuable social media posts.

Always ensure that additional duties are vital to your organization. Increasing work volume without explanation may give staff the false impression that they are not performing up to par.

#2: Offer opportunities for growth.

Provide a clear path toward advancement for all positions in your organization and let employees know that cannabis can be a long-term career. Communicate specific training and performance requirements to move from one position to the next. Provide cross-training opportunities. Equip senior workers to mentor junior workers. Allow budtenders, growers and trimmers with appropriate experience and interest lead informal training sessions for other employees.

In addition to giving employees a comprehensive understanding of the operation, this kind of professional development will also cultivate a knowledgeable workforce.

#3: Foster a culture of collaboration

Employees who feel they are part of a team are more likely to stay motivated. Taking on tasks as a team provides staff members with a sense of involvement and mutual respect, which contributes to morale and engagement.

Co-workers can also forge professional bonds through informal activities like staff lunches, or more structured interactions like regular staff meetings. Let employees know that their input matters to you and their peers. Make time for them to check in, suggest new ideas, or simply give recognition to a deserving colleague. And whenever it is both possible and practical, encourage staff members to collaborate on a project. Writing strain descriptions or straightening the floor will give them the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal together.