This is our story of green garden gates, the most successful group of 746 garden centers in the United States. Follow our adventure building our first store which starts at entry #1, A little Zen, some Zip Ties and a lot of Zinnias! We welcome your questions and comments by posting to this blog or by contacting nickhudson@earthlink.net
(copyright: nick hudson 2008)
Without our employees, green garden gates is a big pile of nailed together lumber and a bunch of plants and bug sprays. We will make every effort to nurture, enable and reward our employees.
Respect
We must always understand;
our hopes and dreams are not our employee’s hopes and dreams.
Sure, they want us to achieve our business goals. They will work hard for that goal. But they have lives and rarely will their lives include their burning desire for the success of green garden gates. When they walk to their car after a long day, their thoughts turn to a daughter’s soccer match, a new fender for the restored hot rod, or an ailing grandfather. It sure as hell is not the number of flats of petunias that were sold. We must know what makes them tick and nurture those interests.
Employees in our industry ask very little of their company. They want meaningful tasks that make a difference. They want us to listen to their ideas to improve the business. They want a work environment free of anger, pettiness and discourse. They want the cheerful camaraderie of fellow workers. They want appreciation and recognition for their performance. They want respect.
Invest
There is no more commitment that we can make than to our employees. In the workplace, we encourage and finance their efforts to educate themselves to gardening and to our industry. We welcome their involvement in garden related groups, locally, regionally and nationally. We encourage their participation in community activities.
Outside the workplace, we invest in their personal well being and obligations, their family ties, as well as their physical, emotional, and spiritual goals. We want to understand and support the balance between their personal and professional lives. We make investments in them such as offering scholarships for their children and providing a fund for employees in need.
Enable
Too often, garden store owners, in making changes and “improvements” ignore the very people; those employees who actually “turn the wheel” and who’s daily workday lives will be affected by these changes.
Even the smallest changes can make their jobs easier or much more difficult. It may be a bench that is moved that now prevents customers from shopping, a “no parking” sign cemented into the ground that was installed too high for the driver to see, or a new parking lot that creates more congestion than the original design. Those employees see the problems but are rarely asked.
Nick Hudson recalls an incident in his brown notebook when he was on a city committee that approved a new housing project in his town. The developers wanted to place a raised concrete curb in a circle in the middle of a cud de sac of a street. The developers wanted to plant flowers in the circle. Robert asked if the plows in the winter, unable to see the curb because of the snowfall, would hit the curb and destroy it. “No problem” they said.
Nick asked that the person who plowed the snow in the town be brought to the hearing to answer the question. Sure enough, he stood before the committee in his work overalls right beside all the developers in their suits.
“Will you hit the curb when you plow the snow, Robert?" asked Mr. Hudson. Robert laughed heartily, "I will take that curb out on the first pass of my blade of the first snowfall”.
The request was denied.
Each change in procedure, each revision of policy, each purchase of inventory, each addition or re-design of the buildings and improvements must have “buy in” of the people whose working lives are affected by the changes. That is when the changes will be successful.
Reward
We want our employees to anticipate financial rewards beyond the weekly paycheck. It is only then when their efforts will be consistently re-doubled to offer more to our customers than the practice of “point and look away”. There is excitement in making a few extra dollars. We will offer those extra financial rewards in many ways at all times in the workplace.
What kinds of employees are you looking for and where do you get them?
Our staff of employee’s is composed a different kinds of people, the three S’s, who are with us for different times in the season, for different reasons.
The Springtimes The Steadies The Serious
Together, they provide the many colored threads in our finely woven fabric of excellence. Our challenge is to recognize who they are and what contribution they can make for both the store and the themselves to have a long lasting relationship.
These men and women, young and older, are with green garden gates during the busy spring and early summer months. They enjoy working at our store for a number of reasons. We count on them to bring enthusiasm and spirit after a long winter. They usually work part time, often less than twenty hours per week. Their workday is four to six hours. They are:
“Ladies who lunch” or “men who golf!”
Their motto is:
“Get some exercise, then take the kids and grandkids to the lake place when it’s over”
This is an opportunity for them to get outside, lose a little weight, and interact with gardeners during the annual ritual of plant buying. Most have lived in the community and region for a long time and have built many relationships with other residents and groups. They will return season after season if the environment is positive and pleasurable. We will lose them if the workplace is uncomfortable and full of discourse. The karma has to be right.
They are:
Not really working for the money. Motivated and self starters Often, well educated and financially secure. Fit, but may have some physical or stamina limitations that need to be addressed Well dressed and well groomed. Even tempered. Just wanting to do a job and enjoy it with little responsibility Good workers, often with leadership skills. Eager for something interesting and meaningful to do.
They enjoy the camaraderie of other employees They love a good joke and a positive workplace and or course a little gossip They avoid the drama and the politics of the workplace They will take any job when asked and finish the work properly.
Cautions:
They:
Will want to leave when all the excitement is over.
Often have obligations during the weekends
May have a tendency to have more fun than work
May be hiding or escaping from something, seeking a little “shelter from the storm” which may show up in the workplace
Where do you find them?
This group usually will voluntarily apply
Many have been customers of green garden gates
Some have had a friend who has worked at the store
Some have worked in a garden store years ago and liked the job
Some belong to a gardening club and want more experience
Some have a landscaping job at home. They want the education and the discount!
The Kid's
These are the high school and college age boys and girls. They arrive to take the physically demanding jobs of the season, carry-outs, cart moving, flower and plant placement, consolidating, cleaning and maintenance, all kinds of lifting, carrying and supporting other employees in sales and service.
"The absolute best kids I ever had were from one of those “alternative” high schools. You know, they got sent there because the regular school kicked them out, kinda like a modern reform school. These kids were bright. I understand that they got bored or did not want to put up with the bullshit.
They were “street smart”; they knew how to go from A to B in the most efficient way. Oh yeah, you had to deal with their wide mood swings but their abilities and savvy paid off big time in the fast paced business that we had."
J Dennis
Retired garden store owner
New Jersey
They are generally in need of hourly managing and oversight but responsive to any assignment. If they are managed properly and treated with respect, they, too, will return season after season
“If you get a kid who has a girlfriend and a car payment, you got the kid for life!”
Old veteran garden store owner Ohio
Their Motto;
“I want to have a lot of fun, meet a few new friends, and make a few bucks”
They:
Provide a youthful energy to the store Will work most shifts and long hours Have almost unlimited stamina, agility, and persistence Are quick learners. Have some valuable advanced technology skills
Cautions;
They:
Need to be rewarded often with compliments Need activity. They get bored easily Often have mercurial temperaments, running the range of excitement to disappointment Will drift, losing sight of the task to be accomplished
Where do you find them?
Put up “help wanted” banners on your outside fences Contact the local colleges and trade schools Ask the kids working at the store if he or she has any friends who would like to work From your customers, fathers and mothers
Don’t spend any money using want ads or employment agencies. They will show up for applications in flocks when the season begins.
The Retired’s
We believe, that this group of potential employees is going to be very valuable to the success of our company in the years to come. If their needs are attended to properly, they can be a real help in our operations.
This group is motivated to work for two primary reasons; they are bored sitting around the house and/or they need extra income to supplement their retirement money. They generally are older. They will return each season if their physical ability and general health is good.
They;
Come with good job skills and sometimes special certifications Have a good work ethic Are reliable. They can be counted on to work their schedule Available for custom scheduling, odd times and odd hours Will work past the peak season into the slow times Have good people skills Are able to relate to older customers Project the “voice of wisdom” to younger customers Have experience, often, supervising other employees Do, often, enjoy working alone on projects
Cautions:
They:
Have a tendency to perform a task their own way rather than an accepted way. Can get frustrated and upset in the workplace Often value their outside interests much more than the workplace Do not tolerate fellow workers who are sloppy or slackers Can be physically unable to perform some normal tasks in the workplace They may have attitude problems with supervision Can have limiting availability to work, days of the week and hours of the day
Where do you find them?
They respond to want ads and help wanted banners They come from the customer base They can be relatives of other employees
These are the “backbone” employees of the staff. They want to work a full forty hour set schedule from the beginning to the end of the season. They need the money and as many job benefits possible.
They can be counted upon to get the tasks jobs completed, no matter what the hardship of the day. They can be relied upon to return season after season if the money and other benefits allow them to “make it”. They can tolerate a lot of issues in the workplace without frustration or complaint.
Their Motto;
“Just doin my job”
“The customers are gone and the employees are huddled inside waiting out the rainstorm. I peer through a window and there is Carl, all alone in his yellow rain jacket, with that big grin on his face, waiting to say “can I help ya?”
I swear, when the nuclear blast hits and all is left are cockroaches, maraschino cherries, and the filters from cigarettes, there will be Carl, standing there with his hair all singed, waiting to sell a tree.”
John Naples
Garden store owner
Georgia
They:
Have had experience and basic skills in any number of jobs They often have worked a lot of retail They are used to manual labor and physically demanding jobs Like the stability of one job description. Many do not like change Value their jobs, as a source of accomplishment and stability above almost anything in their lives Respond to regular supervision They understand their place in the organization and are content with that place They are good team workers They get excited and motivated by small changes or improvements in the workplace. They will adapt to longer working hours and weekend work. They have an eager desire to help the business grow through their work They identify strongly with the company.
Cautions:
They;
May have, in many cases, limited education and technical skills May be slightly impaired mentally or physically May have financial issues or an unstable home environment Can get easily upset if they feel that they are being “put upon” Want real equality among their fellow workers
Where to you find them?
1. We, look first at other garden stores and outlets that sell plants and plant care products in the community and the area.
2. We look for employees in similar seasonal businesses, cousins to the garden store business; fruit stands, farming operations, fish markets, greenhouses, and growing operations.
3. We watch for employees in the apparel and cosmetic retail stores in the area. It has been our experience that these employees know how to present, display and move products seasonally and often.
These employees are the career motivated men and women who see challenge, opportunity, and advancement with green garden gates. They are now or are working toward a position of management and supervision in the company. They are constantly striving to better themselves with experience and education. This is not a job for them, it is a professional position. They are always moving toward the highest level possible with green garden gates. This group is the leadership of green garden gates in the stores, either as section leaders, floor managers, or store managers.
Motto:
“This is my career”
They have:
Higher educations and training A number of technical and human resource skills Reasonable to fully financially secure Been in a number of supervisory positions The ability to learn and adapt quickly to any situation High verbal and writing skills A moderate to good home environment A solid technical and professional work history A professional presence about them A self motivating personality An ability to be both a team player and an lone entreunepural pathfinder A can do spirit seeing a task from the beginning to the end Great organizational skills Empathy and understanding in supervising An appetite for more learning and education in their fields
Cautions:
They:
Can be incessantly driven to upward mobility Can be unbending in their leadership approach Constantly will gauge their advancement in relationship to others Can be unsatisfied with performing tasks “beneath them” Will question the value of tasks to be performed or store policies and practices Can get very discouraged with a career setback Can have a tendency to “pass the buck” to others. Require regular and consistent feedback and communication
Where do you find them?
Since this group is so important in directing the success of the company, we have to look very closely for these qualities. We take similar approach as we have done in choosing our store manager in Tulsa in entries #70 through #75
The owners of small garden stores are often face with a dilemma. What is the best way to use their small labor force as plants and products start to arrive in the early spring.
Some owners revert to the old “all hands on deck” practice of getting everybody out there to unload a huge load of heavy shrubs. So, the bookkeeper and the old retired guy jump on the truck and start hucking those plants. The problem always is that after unloading two or three of these big beasts in a day, everybody is shot.
The smart owners try hard to not use their employees for these jobs. They rely on contract labor to do that awful work. A temporary agency handles all the paperwork. The labor shows up and gets the job done. If you get a bad one, the temp agency pulls that person off and sends a new one. Yes, it costs a little more but killing off your staff costs a lot.
“Once I had this bright idea to get guys out of jail to help with this unloading. It worked great for a while. They sent the ones with minor stuff, like working off a drunk driving conviction. They all jumped at the chance and best of all, they could smoke!
One season, we had a particularly alluring group of young ladies working at the store. And like bees to honey, first thing you know, they were pairing up at lunch time and driving off to some secluded spot.We thought that it was best to end this labor practice. Those guys must have felt they had died and gone to heaven!
Felix Mindo
Garden store owner
New Hampshire
Volunteer Groups
Gardening groups and organizations are an excellent source of extra labor during the busy spring weekends at green garden gates.
We make a financial arrangement with these groups by donating an amount of money to their organization for their work on these days. We use them as “greeters”, directing our customers to specific areas where they want to shop, we use them to help move the customer to the check-outs with their purchases, and of course, we tap into their knowledge of gardening in answering questions.We assign a member of the staff to act as a coordinator and “go to” person while they are working at our store.
These groups are eager to help at the store and they provide an extra positive spirit during those very busy days.
Interns
We welcome internship programs at green garden gates; students in all areas of study. We believe that a young person even in an unrelated business will benefit as much as a person studying horticulture.
As with all employees, the interns move through our regular new employee process and training. They are assigned “mentors” during their stay to monitor and guide them through the workweeks.
Some garden store owners don’t understand the potential liability of a volunteer or paid intern by some other program. They absolutely have to be under the umbrella of some workman’s compensation policy. If they were to get injured, it’s the garden store owner who will be hung out to dry if a policy is not in place
For the purposes of various benefits offered by green garden gates, how are the employees classified?
We have four employee employment classifications;
Introductory
Occasional
Seasonal
Permanent
Voluntary
Introductory
These employees work from one hours to 240 hours/60 days
Each employee is initially hired in the introductory classification. At the completion of the term which is sixty days or 240 hours, whichever comes first, he or she is moved to the next status, which is Occasional.
Compensation
Base hourly wage; 10.00 per hour
Other Compensation: None
Returning employees the next season to the same ggg store, who have completed the hours or days requirement, are automatically classified as Occasional or Seasonal depending on their accumulation of hours worked for previous season. If an employee skips a season or skips several seasons and returns, the store manager can decide where he or she should be classified, depending experience and previous work hour history.
When an employee transfers to another ggg location, that store manager has the discretion of moving the employee into a classification depending on experience and previous work history at the former location.
We want to be sure that the employee is stable and reliable after the move. Sometimes the move is within the same city or area and there is not much disruption in his or her personal life. Sometimes, however, it may be a move across the country which may cause some work instability. We hesitate in giving benefits beyond base wages until we know the employee will be satisfied with the location and the new store.
There are additional benefits for our employees after the introductory classification.
The medical contributions, product discounts, personal time days, and the added benefits of the store manager are expenced. The cash bonus fund and the ggg trust retirement programs are drawn from the net profits of the store after expences.
The following is a formula for these amounts.
The net profit distributions of green garden gates, after all store expenses
50.49% is retained by green garden gates
49.51% is given in programs to the employees
Of 100.00 in net profit
100.00
15.0015% goes into the employee trust program
________
85.00
85.00
10.2012%of the remaining goes into the employee cash bonus program
________8%for the seasonal employees cash bonus program
74.804%for the occasional employees cash bonus program
74.80
7.4810% of the remaining goes to the floor manager as a bonus
_________
67.32
67.32
16.8325% of the balance goes to the store manager
_________
50.49 Retained by GreenGarden Gates
Occasional
These people are employed each calendar year for more than 241 hours/sixty days to 1199 hours.
This part of the staff is hired for the spring and early summer gardening rush. They generally start to arrive in increments beginning from about mid March to mid April and begin to leave in increments starting in about mid June. Some of these employees may return during the fall planting season.
Compensation
Base hourly wage:10.00 per hour
All employees in this category are at the same rate
The Bonus Fund
Up to 4 % of 49.51% of the net profits of green garden gates go into a bonus fund for all the employees classified in this seasonal employee category. The employee must work at a minimum of 270 hours orninety days which ever comes first, (at any classification)to be eligible for this bonus fund. The distribution is made according to shares. First season employees earn one share, three seasons, two shares, six seasons, three shares.
Employees who move into another classification during the season stay with the benefits of the previous classification through the completion of that season. Employees who, for some reason, drop down a classification, are eligible for the benefits of that new classification
The payment of the bonus is in two installments, 60% of the amount is paid after the close of the season, usually in mid November. The remaining 40% is paid in July of the next season.
We hold out 40% of the bonus for a couple of reasons. First, if the employee decides not to return the next season, the medical premiums the company has paid during the months the store is closed, will be deducted from their final bonus check.
Second, employees are required to notify green garden gates if they are not returning the next season by January 31st following the season closure in November. If the employee does not notify ggg on or before that date, The employee forfeits all claims to the remaining bonus from the previous season. We have a firm date on notification because we need to recruit early for the upcoming season.
Under no circumstances will the employee be denied the remaining bonus dollars if they our not in our employment during the next season. The money belongs to them, they earned it for their work the previous season. We will deduct the medical premiums we have paid during the down time and award them the remaining bonus money regardless if they left our employment.
There will be always an employee who will try to "game" the system. He or she will signal intentions to come back to work and not do this or the employee will work just a few weeks in the spring and then quit. If the employee does not return to work, the medical premiums paid by the company all during the down time will be deducted from the previous seasons bonus check. Employees are required to accumulate more than 240 hours the next season or 60 days of work , whichever comes first. (each day he or she punches the clock counts as a day, no matter how many hours the employee works that day). If the employee leaves after this requirement, no medical premium deduction will be taken out of the bonus check.
Product Discounts
The employees in this category receive 20% discount on the retail price of all products in the store, while they are employed with us. Refer to #75 for specifics on the product discount program.
Personal time Days.
Each employee is given 3 personal time days.
After December 31st, the personal days are resigned. 50% of the unused days are awarded in bonus dollars to that employee. Refer to #75 for specifics of the personal time program.
Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Compensation
Seasonal employees are not eligible for the green garden gates insurance program. However, the store will contribute a maximum of 10% or a determined amount of money of the employee’s personal private insurance premium during the time he or she is employed with ggg.
Note on insurance compensation: This is another financial trap for owners of all businesses. The rising costs of health care makes it difficult to predict. It may happen that a company is not able to afford a fixed percentage of the premium. Give yourself some wiggle room here. DON'T OFFER JUST PERCENTAGES! Always leave the option of contributing a specific but variable dollar amount to health insurance.
Seasonal
This staff is employed each calendar year from 1201 hours to 2079 hours
These employees work for green garden gates most or all of the gardening season. Although the majority of them are section leaders and the floor manager, some employees are guides who return each year for all or nearly all the entire season.
Compensation:
Base hourly wage:10.00 per hour
All employees in this category are at the same rate
Leadership Pay Upgrades
Employees in this category who are charged with leadership positions at green garden gates are awarded special pay upgrades for their responsibilities. Section leaders are awarded a 50% pay increase of their base, to 15.00 per hour. The Floor Manager is awarded a 100% pay increase over their base, to 20.00 per hour. These pay upgrades may increase depending on future responsibilities.
Personal time days
Each employee is given 5 personal time days.
The floor manager is given 8 personal time days
After December 31st, the personal days are resigned. 50% of the unused days are awarded in bonus dollars to that employee.Refer to #75 for specifics of the personal time program.
Product Discounts
The employees in this category receive 40% discount on the retail price of all products in the store, while they are employed with us. Refer to #75 for specifics on the product discount program.
The Bonus Fund
Up to 8% of 49.51% of the net profits of green garden gates go into a bonus fund for all the employees classified in this seasonal employee category. The employee must work at a minimum of 270 hours orninety days which ever comes first, (at any classification)to be eligible for this bonus fund.
The distribution is divided into shares based on the seasons worked at ggg. After the first full season in this classification, employees receive one share of that year’s fund.After three full season, two shares. After six full seasons, three shares. The bonuses are awarded at the close of the season, usually in November, with a portioned retained for continued health insurance premiums. The final payment is made on July 1st of the next season.
Although classified as a seasonal employee, the floor manager has larger responsibilities than the section leaders and other long term seasonal employees. The floor manager is pulled out of this bonus fund for this classification. He or she receives up to 10% of 49.51% of the net profits of the store.
see explanation of the bonus payout times and restrictions in the discussion of Occasional employees
Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Compensation
All employees in this category must have these health insurance coverages. green garden gates has a comprehensive policy available for this purpose.
The company will compensate the employee to 40% or a determined amount of money of the monthly premiums of this policy.
Additional family members through this plan will be compensated by the company at 20% or a determined amount of money of the additional premium for other members of the family
We encourage our employees to retain this health insurance after they are discharged for the season if they have indicated that they will return to work the following season. A part of their earned bonus fund money, see #75, will be retained to pay for the company contribution to these premiums after they are discharged for the season. If an employee decides he or she will not work the following season that premium money is deducted from the final payment of their bonus funds. If the employee returns to work, those premium dollars are returned to their fund, with their final award for that previous year’s bonus money to be paid on July 1st of that year.
If the employee carries private insurance other than the ggg policy, That contributed money will be awarded in their wages to help pay for this insurance. Employees must provide documentation that they have an active private policy similar to the ggg policy.
The ggg trust/retirement fund.
The store will contribute up to 15% of the employee’s weekly wages to a trust fund for retirement or other uses by the employee. The employee must work three seasons, at a normal rate of work hours, before he or she can draw from this account. The maximum draw is 50% of this fund after three seasons and 100% after six seasons with green garden gates.
Off Season Employment
The seasonal employees are not obligated to the company after they have been discharged that year in order to receive any earned compensation from the previous year.
During the course of the season, green garden gates and our suppliers provide cash incentives for the sale of certain products. We may want to move out an item or category that has been in our inventory too long. Suppliers want to introduce their new product by offering an incentive to sell the item. These bonuses are reflected on their paychecks with the necessary government withholding process.
Online work payments
Our employees are required to do considerable work on our website; training programs, researching and getting timely information about the workplace. For all probationary, occasional and seasonal employees we add to their wages the amount of twenty-five dollars per month for this online work. We believe that this requirement done outside the workplace needs to be recognized by extra dollars.
Awards for innovations
Employees are on the front lines of our stores . They see the problem in a procedure or an operation and often have a better solution that can save us wasted time, unneccesary effort and cost. Each season, we may give up to three one hundred dollar and two five hundred dollar awards to employees who innovate, who bring solutions to us that has moved our stores forward.
Gratuities
From time to time, employees are rewarded by customers with a gratuity for their outstanding performance. We condone this practice with conditions that are outlined in our employee manual.
Customer Service Awards
During the season, employees perform services to their customers that are well beyond "going the extra mile" in the sales of our plants and plant care products. We provide an award for this great effort each season by allocating three one hundred dollar awards for our employees. We are hopeful that we can give any or all of these three awards each season.
Training Upgrades
Our training program is broad and extensive. It requires that the employee put in extra time, both on the job and at home with these training courses. When employees complete a module, they are awarded a block financial upgrade payment each pay period. Their base pay stays the same but the upgrade payment is added to their paycheck. The stipend will continue as long as the employee continues with completing that training module as it is expanded and refined.
Permanent
They are employed each calendar year for 2080 hours or more.
These employees are compensated in wages each week year round.
The store manager is the only employee classified in this category.
Compensation for this position is specified in entry #75
“I have a clear understanding of all the positions in the seasonal category except the floor manager. It seems that he or she has a big job assisting the store managers and is basically running the place much of the time. Why doesn’t he or she get classified as a permanent employee and what about extra benefits?
Les Schwab, The Tire King, in his book, “Pride in Performance” said it best to all his Managers about their assistant managers (we call them floor managers)
“If a bright young ambitious man joins our company and wants to make our company his career, does he do it because he just likes you guys? Do you managers think that some little fairy sent you this man just to help you build your bonus? Do you think this man is going to work for low pay, year after year, just so that you can build your profit sharing contract into a nice fat nest egg?? No, I don’t think so. He wants to see results, just like you when you started up the ladder.
There is no question that the floor manager is so important to the operation of the store. His or her job description Entry #118 tells it all.
First, we are reluctant to obligate the store financially with another permanent employee during the off season when there is no money generated from sales. However, the floor manager is the last seasonal employee to leave at season end and the first employee to start as the season begins. I addition, the floor manager's yearly bonus is substantially more than the other seasonal employees.We also anticipate that the floor manager will be working over 40 hours per week during the busy season. Those extra hours are classified as compensatory hours and will be awarded to him or her with the bonus disbursement at the close of the season.Personal time is increased over the classification, and since he or she works longer, the medical share is paid longer in the year. We estimate that the floor manager can receive nearly 50,000.00 or more per year in compensation.
