So much has changed in tea retailing since 2020. Retailers pivoted many times by amping up online sales and in-person delivery or curbside pickups, and changing products and services to meet new demands. The good news is that many of you weathered this experience. Still, sustaining or increasing quality staff is more critical than ever.

Smart tea business owners recognize that their employees are advertisements for their business. Each employee is a reflection of your shop’s personality. You want capable, dedicated, good-mannered employees that exude a sense of professionalism and a curiosity to embrace teas and tea service.

Think about your turnover and the reasons for it. Adjust as possible. If more than one employee left disgruntled, fix the reason before hiring new people.

HOW TO FIND NEW EMPLOYEES:

No matter the size of your staff or whether everyone is part-time or full-time, here are some steps when hiring new employees:

Create a realistic yet compelling job description. Be specific about hours (flexible or static), pay, and the primary responsibilities of the job. Leave the details for the interview process. List your preferred contact method: email, text, phone call or drop-in visit.

Tell your customers and your staff your needs. Ask for recommendations. Be specific about what you need: new accountant, web site content provider, tea sales associates, marketing, or other positions.

Use your website, email letters, in-store signage, and flyers to help spread the word. State pay range, responsibilities, and a few perks!

Ask all of your vendors for referrals. You never know who may be looking for a new job. Chances are, you have a good working relationship with your vendors, and they will likely only want to send credible people your way.

Connect with other tea professionals. Ask for their assistance in hiring good employees from the worlds of tea, culinary services, and sales. These people may be able to connect with you with someone who already has the tea knowledge that you are seeking in your new team member!

Connect with local community college culinary or business programs. Their students may only be part-time or temporary for you, but they’ll have a vested interest in learning that will be beneficial to both of you.

HOW TO INTERVIEW:

This is a two-way process for you and the interviewee to make a great first impression. Share how working for your business isn’t just a job, it’s an enjoyable experience. Share your excitement and enthusiasm for the world of tea and emphasize your training program.

Craft an application that reflects your needs and wants for employees or ask for a resume.

Develop a series of interview questions. Remember, you can always train someone about tea and your particular inventory. What you need immediately is someone who is great at sales (or marketing, accounting, etc.)

Here are some questions to help you with your hiring decisions, with an emphasis on sales associates. Add questions specific to your business:

• What is your experience with tea drinking? Coffee drinking? Hospitality?

• What is your retail sales experience?

• What’s your favorite experience working in a team?

• What should employees do during downtime?

• What’s the best way to handle difficult customers?

• Why did you leave your last job?

• Do you have a long-term career goal?

• What isn’t on your resume that you’d like to share?

• Why do you want to work here?

• Why should I hire you?

• Serve them tea. Ask them to describe it.

Look for attitude and personality. You can always train for tea knowledge. Not every tea enthusiast is good at sales or comfortable engaging with a variety of people. Sales people love meeting people and sharing information.

HOW TO SUSTAIN EMPLOYEES:

Just as important as hiring the best, it’s important to do YOUR best to keep employees happy to show up, excited to work, and satisfied they’re being treated well.

Welcome them!

• Introduce the new employee to everyone on your staff.

• Partner them with a current employee to show them the ropes or do it yourself.

• Check in during the first few days and encourage questions from the new employee.

• Involve them in any tea tastings or product testing.

• On the first day, if you have a break room, provide a modest lunch so that employees can chat informally and get to know the new employee.

Train. Train. Train.

• If you have an employee manual, provide them with one.

• After initial training for their specific job, offer training to increase tea knowledge, the how-to for related products and services.

• Encourage them to assist other staff members to learn more.

• Offer a Certificate of Specialization they can earn by cupping, sampling, learning how to use a variety of tea essentials, and taking a written or oral quiz.

• Pay well, offer benefits if at all possible, and treat your employees with respect. Your business’s ambiance isn’t just for customers, it’s also what makes your place a pleasant place to work.

• Offer Benefits. This may be a real stretch for your budget, but your intention to add value matters.

• As applicable, offer a set amount or a percentage of expenses for each employee to offset the costs of parking, gas, or bus passes.

• Provide discounts on teas, teaware, and other accessories.

• Consider cross-marketing with other small local businesses to offer each other’s employees discounts or even products and services. You can limit the discounts to the same number of employees in each business or offer it to all employees. BONUS: This encourages local employees and business owners to visit your shop!

Encourage employees to take ownership of what they do and how they do it, with your guidance. By offering them some autonomy, employees will step up to their responsibility. Define their roles with job titles (fun or traditional) that gives them a personal and professional identity. Offer paths to further their tea education either with you or with authorities in the field, like trainers from tea association or vendors.

Reward extra effort.

• Consider an Employee of the Month program. Choose a gift of sorts as an acknowledgement. Print out a downloadable certificate and customize it for your shop.

• Invite employees to accompany you to and beverage shows, and other tea industry events to broaden their knowledge.

• Say thank you. In study after study on employee retention, praise is more valued than money to most employees and goes a long way to insuring fidelity to employers. Be specific when you praise their work to show what you noticed and that their work matters.

BONUS: Praise costs nothing.