Employee Management

I don't keep track of employees taking leaves. I don't follow the rule that says "No work, no pay." Whenever I feel sick or don't want to open the shop, I give a day off to my employee. Whenever my employee takes a leave or can't come to the shop, I have to manage everything on my own. I am not the kind of person who will make someone work like a donkey just because I pay their wages. We are all human beings at the end of the day. So, I always treat my staff with respect.

I still have the passion to run the business and manage 4-5 staff members. However, the business is not doing well. Once the business picks up, our interest will automatically increase. There are days when we have sales for 2 days, followed by 2 days with no sales. It is like that.

I haven't hired anyone here; they are just doing the work on their own. They are here because they need to run their homes, and here it is being met, so that is all. He is my friend's nephew, so he is like my nephew too. There is no such rule being applied here. I have to go to the market, and someone has to manage the shop, so I asked him to come here. The qualities that I would look for if I hire someone are: they should behave well, when they remove the product, they should check it and then give it to the customer. They should talk well; when the customer comes, he should ask what they want and what not. I don't plan to hire right now. I don't need them. I have a small shop, how many people will I hire for it? If the business grows by God's grace, then I will hire. The place is small right now, how can we manage? If there is a requirement, then I will hire, but when it is not needed, then why do I need it? I keep track of the holidays the staff took in a notebook.

I can't do anything; if I train someone and they run away. If I teach him a little; he will go to some other place for higher salary. Our time is gone when we were ready to work for free, but nobody does that now. I will have to pay salary whether he works or not, I will have to pay him 200 to 300 daily. Daily 200 to 300.

We have hired a girl and a boy as our staff. We have hired a girl because many of our customers are ladies. Many ladies feel shy to ask for anything from a boy. That's why we have hired a lady. Many men come here. When they see us, they run away, so we have also hired a boy so that they can talk to him. Men come here to buy things and they don't ask us. If they want to buy undergarments, they only talk to the boy.

First of all, I'll prioritize my staff. Trusting them is crucial for me because they play a significant role in running this business. This is non-negotiable. Even if someone doubts it, I firmly believe that without valuing and trusting the staff, the business will not thrive. Secondly, customer satisfaction is paramount.

I don't give money at the starting level, at the initial level, but after some time I do. Everyone's PF is also deducted. We track salary and other things related to staff in Tally software. No, Tally has almost all the features I need. Like PF account, if someone is receiving any advance, everything is there. I have a CA. At the end of the year, the entire employee-wise entry is done. It is done by the CA. We don't calculate holidays properly because we keep them flexible. We try to be strict from our side, but we won't enforce it if they have a proper reason, like not feeling well or anything. Then there is no problem.

We have regular meetings with electricians. Since we sell Havells company wire, the company asks us for the support we need. We suggest having a meeting with electricians, and the company covers the cost of the meeting. They send their representatives and set up a base. We provide the platform and invite our electricians, while Havells explains their product features and promotes our brand. They also give us gifts, as is common for companies. For example, RR cables gave a bag or tool kit, and Havells does the same. This influences the customer because they rely on the electrician's expertise, as they may not have technical knowledge about things like 16 or 32 amperes. Whatever the technician suggests, the customer will use. So the electrician has the first influence. Therefore, we target good electricians and maintain a list of them. We try to have meetings with them and inform them about the products we have available. Then, the electricians recommend our products to the customers. We focus on electricians rather than keeping track of individual customers. Customers come to our shop to purchase products, and sometimes we give them a free gift.

We have different staff members with different roles at our shop. One person is in charge of dispatching and customer service. When you visit the shop and need products, this person will get them for you while I handle the billing. Another person focuses on collecting payments from people who owe us. I will provide travel allowance and cover petrol expenses for this person as their main job is to recover payments. They will be working in the field. We also have another person who is solely responsible for sales. The person in charge of collecting payments will handle recovery efforts and take orders from customers who want products, while also focusing on payment collection. Their role includes dispatching and customer service. Each person has their own specific tasks. The customer service person will process orders and handle stock dispatching. The salesperson's main goal is to increase sales for the month. They have a monthly sales target and a group where they post products.

Then we have a group on Whatsapp where we share our dispatch reports and keep track of the orders. We also have small counters where local shopkeepers can purchase from us. So this is how our dispatch and order process works. Everyone in the group is involved. Whenever we receive an order, it is posted in the group. For example, if someone needs 100 pieces of LED 8watt and 9watt, they will mention it in the group. This person is responsible for checking the order, preparing the products, and packing them for dispatch. The collection person has access to this information as well. They check what payments are remaining and visit the customers to collect the payment. That is their target. All of them work full-time with me, and I provide them with a good salary. The sales person earns 18000, the collection person earns 12000, and there is an additional 6000 for the collection person. I pay them based on their performance.

The concept of hiring three staff members for three different areas develops over time and through experience. You assess market conditions and strategize ways to grow the business. While I have previous experience working in a company, I am proficient in setting targets, reviewing progress, and providing incentives for achieving collection goals. As an MBA graduate, I am familiar with the various motivating factors, such as offering incentives.

I listed my store on Amazon, but at that time we only had one staff member and couldn't manage it. Amazon informed us that they would send us orders, but we were unable to fulfill them due to a lack of staff. However, we are now capable of handling it. If we reconnect with Amazon, we will be able to fulfill orders. It is also part of our future plan to do so. Yes, we did receive orders from Amazon, but we couldn't deliver them because we didn't have enough employees. This shortage of staff was a significant challenge for us. Additionally, we were facing difficulties due to my father's health issues. As a result, our shop was frequently closed during that time, causing us to encounter various problems. Unfortunately, during that period, my grandfather passed away and my father fell ill. This forced us to temporarily abandon the Amazon store. However, we still receive calls from Amazon, and we are determined to resume working with them. We have our ID and if you are interested, we can collaborate together to fulfill orders.

I have 4 mechanics and 1 person who bring the material from the racks for the mechanics to use in the cars. Yes. In my absence the staff who brings material from the rack, writes down the name of the part which has got exhausted or remained less in number on the rack. Next day when I come to the shop, I place the order for that. He handles everything like payment, discount structure and all. If the customer demands for more discounts then he calls me up and asks me that customer is demanding this part in this much amount. I know the discount structure of all the material and all the company so I suggest him that much.

I have to maintain the staff, sometimes mechanics fight with some customers or customers fight with the mechanics, I have to solve that. I have to balance all that.

I do my work and they do their work. If customer creates the fuss related to the spare part or problem in his car then I have to interfere and explain everything to the customer. I have to maintain relation with the customers and with mechanics both. If anything wrong happens with the mechanics, I have to manage that also.

Yes, I face problems with mechanics sometimes it happens but next day they come to the job. With stock maintaining boy also sometimes I talk roughly when I am not in my mood but after sometime everything becomes normal. If his mind would be disturbed, he would speak up something to me also. Next day we all become normal. Now-a-days the atmosphere has become such, everything seems to be in tension only. I let go things and behave normally with them next day. I feel we all have to work together only. Sometimes while making fun the discussion happens, sometimes the customer would talk to them roughly. Sometimes customers do not feel satisfied with the work of my mechanics so they get angry and I have to explain to the customers that there was some other problem in your car and so other part has got damaged.

Yes I give them payment weekly. Whenever they need financial help, I provide them. If they want I can pay them monthly but they themselves demand for weekly payment. Sometimes they demand for more payment after 2-3 days of weekly payment and I give them. It is kept in my mind and their mind also. I dont decide how much advance I have to give the staff member. It is like we have to carry on with whatever are the circumstances.

No, I pay him monthly. If he takes days off knowingly then it is different, but if there is some problem and takes a day off then what can you do about it.

I call for extra help during Diwali. The staff comes from my native- Rajasthan. They will stay here for a month and leave after Diwali. The reason for not hiring local people is that their wages are higher. Tamil (local) people will work from morning 9 till night 9. In between they need a 1 hour break for lunch. It won’t work for us. We open the shop at 7:30, but they come at 9. That is the reason. Then they ask for a 1 hour break for lunch. But we will eat here and again take care of the business. Night also he will be there till 10:30 or 11.

Initially, we had kept a person for help us, but it didn’t work out. So we didn’t keep. A lot of articles would go missing. Even if I have a camera, I couldn’t do anything about it. There are lots of issues, so I stopped. If it's a small shop, it's okay. It’s a big shop and there are lots of items. We can't check each item. Next day if the customer asks for an item and while searching if it is not there we know about it. Until then, we won't know.

We have 6-7 people during busy times. We manage quickly. Two will stay inside, and one will stay outside. We are worried about theft. We have a water can and tea for everyone. We provide breakfast for everyone, which is convenient. We are comfortable and don't feel tired. I tell the girls to go home around 5 or 6 am. They promise to sleep early. This time, I called their mom and advised her to get at least 2 hours of sleep. It's good for the body.

If I need to hire someone for my shop, I ask people about their personal relationships. I inquire if they are having any affair or not. I establish some rules. Firstly, they are allowed to socialize outside of work. They can spend time with their boyfriend or girlfriend. They can go out. However, they should not lie and stay at home when they want to go out. If they are not able to come to work, they should inform me beforehand. There was a recent incident where a girl went home at around 8 or 8.30. She was close to her house but didn't reach home for an hour and a half. I asked her what happened and she claimed she went to the temple. However, it turned out she went to meet her boyfriend. There is another case involving a girl and her aunt. The girl used to go home around 7.30 or 8. Whenever she left, I used to provide her with cosmetics like testers, face powder, and foundation. However, she never reached home and would just wander around. She would leave home at 7.30 and there are many similar cases where employees lied to me. This has led to a loss of trust in them.

I record all the salaries given to my staff. I don't provide any advances. I give the salary at the beginning of the month, or when they need it, in advance. There is no such rule. If someone is late for half an hour, they receive 50% of their salary. You can discuss this. I don't have such a rule. She goes to college and I pay her a full day's salary.

In my shop, there is a daily boy who works, and I know how much business I can do every day. I want to know if they are involved in any kind of fraudulent activity. I had noticed that in the last 2 months, the sales have increased, but the profit is still low. I was keeping an eye on him, and he was caught. I didn't take any action; I just told him to find another job because his behavior is not acceptable here. I even offered to help him find another job elsewhere. I didn't argue because I didn't want to create a scene.

If I'm not here, my employee (the girl) is present. If there is any problem, she calls me and I come here. I live nearby, so it's not a problem. It's only 10 to 15 minutes away from here. Today, she hasn't come because of the Ganpati festival and the Mahalaxmi Pooja.

She should let me know beforehand, and once she arrives here, I will inform her as well. Holidays are like giving her a day off whenever she needs it. It's not a big deal, like you won't have any days off or anything like that. If she needs it, she can take a day off without any problem.

I pay my employee using Google Pay, but I do it through my husband instead of using the app. Although I have the app, I don't use it to pay her. I choose this method to save on expenses because I prioritize myself.

Till now, there have been fully permanent people here. Some have stayed for a whole year, some just 6 months, and some just come for four days and go away. In this field, no one sticks to a particular shop permanently. If we provide them with food and shelter, maybe they will stay longer. If they get a hang of things around here, they may go ahead and open a shop of their own.

So, I have no problems with selecting and giving the items to the customer. But sometimes, they may ask if I can pick up the rice bag and put it in the car, and that's when it becomes difficult for me. Otherwise, I don't feel the effort. If there is an extra person with me, then while I look for items, the shopkeeper can handle the other customers simultaneously, and they don't need to wait for that. We only need people in the shop for those 3-4 simultaneous customers.

My father recruits staff; I interact well with all. I guage their potential based on their response to me. For example, I often ask a staff member to share a picture, and while some agree initially, there are cases where I receive no response on the matter. However, there are also staff members who promptly send me the requested pictures. These are noteworthy highlights

Yes, we give offs on all government holidays and Sundays to our staff. If we are open on weekends, then they can take offs on weekdays as well. Other that that, we also grant holidays to them if they are going to village. We do not maintain any record for staffs.

Yes, we provide assistance (advance payments) to staff, when they ask, and we consider them like siblings. They feel comfortable sharing their problems with us, and we help them. My father has the same approach.

Even when I give jobs to people, they don't work sincerely. When I was working, I used to think that I should earn money for my employer and also build a good reputation. Additionally, if I were to leave the job and return to the village, I used to fear that my parents would scold me, accusing me of leaving the job for some wrongdoing. They used to strictly advise me to only go there for temple functions or marriage ceremonies. Nowadays, the people who come to work have mobile phones and they keep talking without working. If we assign them a job, they become angry. No matter what we say, they refuse to listen to us. They interpret everything in the opposite way. I used to have 6 shops before, but now I only have a single shop.

There were staff members who worked with me properly. When they looked into my eyes, they understood my needs and immediately asked me what work they should do. While I was working, if anything fell down, even before my owner bent down to pick it up, I used to go and help him. Even the people whom I had hired earlier were like that. They now have separate shops. All of those who worked hard are running their own businesses. However, those who were with me for the past 5 years are not doing any business. They keep changing their jobs. If I gave them extra money, they would go and drink. But the people who were with me earlier never used to take any extra money. They were happy with whatever I gave them. The pay was less in those days. So, even if I paid them early, they would say that they would take the money later when they came back from their village. But nowadays, they take extra money and run away.

To manage festival crowd, I have four persons for help. I will bring local Tamil people also through an agent from Dindugal. He sends me workers and I have to pay one day’s salary as commission. We also pay the workers their daily wage. The agent gets one day's salary from me plus he will get one day's salary from the worker, so 2 days' salary will be credited to the agent. He will send the workers. I will employ them for a week and make arrangements for their stay at the shop.