WEBVTT - Everyone's a volunteer

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that anyone you want to work with most

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<v Speaker 1>likely has choices about where they want to work. So

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<v Speaker 1>no matter the size of people's paychecks, it is best

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<v Speaker 1>to manage team members as if they were volunteers. They

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<v Speaker 1>have to want to be there. If they do want

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<v Speaker 1>to be there, everything will work a lot better. Today's tip,

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<v Speaker 1>like a few others over the past few weeks, comes

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<v Speaker 1>from the book Setting the Table, The Transforming Power of

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<v Speaker 1>Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer of Shakeshack and Union

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<v Speaker 1>Square Cafe fame. In the book, Meyer shares insights he's

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<v Speaker 1>learned from the restaurant business that are relevant for people

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<v Speaker 1>in just about any field. Danny Meyer advises treating your

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<v Speaker 1>employees like volunteers. When you are managing volunteers, you know

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<v Speaker 1>they are there because they chose to be, so you

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<v Speaker 1>are mindful of that. You know they can leave at

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<v Speaker 1>any point, so you generally try to thank them and

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<v Speaker 1>make sure they feel they did something useful, and if

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<v Speaker 1>they are doing something menial, you tie it to the

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<v Speaker 1>organization's larger goals. Danny Meyer points out that staff like volunteers,

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<v Speaker 1>are working with you because they want to be Now, sure,

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<v Speaker 1>they may need to have some sort of job, but

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<v Speaker 1>there are a lot of jobs in this world. They

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<v Speaker 1>chose to work for you in particular, so you need

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<v Speaker 1>to cultivate their se satisfaction with the job, understanding that

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<v Speaker 1>they have the ability to walk out the door and

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<v Speaker 1>work for someone else quite easily. Meyer writes, I believe

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<v Speaker 1>anyone who is qualified for a job in our company

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<v Speaker 1>is also qualified for many other jobs at the same

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<v Speaker 1>pay scale. It's up to us to provide solid reasons

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<v Speaker 1>for our employees to want to work for us over

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<v Speaker 1>and beyond their compensation. That is good advice anytime, but

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<v Speaker 1>especially now when many employers are finding it hard to

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<v Speaker 1>attract and retain great staff. Satisfied team members are more

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<v Speaker 1>likely to stick with you, so you don't have to

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<v Speaker 1>spend all of your precious time hiring and training new people. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Meyer doesn't give too many specifics about how exactly you

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<v Speaker 1>treat your staff members like volunteers, but here are a

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<v Speaker 1>few ideas. Make sure everyone can connect their work to

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<v Speaker 1>the big picture purpose or mission of your organization. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>just focus on something being a mundane task, also focus

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<v Speaker 1>on the ultimate meaning of it. Second, respect your employees

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<v Speaker 1>and don't waste their time. Even if someone is getting paid.

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<v Speaker 1>It is demoralizing not to be able to get anything done,

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<v Speaker 1>so make sure everyone has what they need to do

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<v Speaker 1>their jobs well and efficiently. Third, thank your employees. You

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<v Speaker 1>can send encouraging emails or praise people publicly at staff meetings,

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<v Speaker 1>take people out to lunch, or whatever fits with organizational culture.

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<v Speaker 1>One big reason people quit jobs is that they don't

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<v Speaker 1>feel appreciated, so don't assume that a paycheck is the

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<v Speaker 1>only appreciation team members need. After all, any of your

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<v Speaker 1>competitors can give them that. Finally, create a positive company culture,

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<v Speaker 1>so people take pride in being affiliated with you and

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<v Speaker 1>your organization. Make it easy for people to make friends,

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<v Speaker 1>make people want to tell people that they work for you.

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<v Speaker 1>A competitor can offer the same amount of money, but

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<v Speaker 1>they can't offer the exact same culture or you, so

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<v Speaker 1>think about this intentionally. In any case, if people want

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<v Speaker 1>to work for you, they will do a better job

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<v Speaker 1>and be less likely to leave. When you think of

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<v Speaker 1>your staff as volunteers, because honestly, everyone is a volunteer,

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<v Speaker 1>you will all reap the benefits beyond a paycheck. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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