just want to share something…
i had a “customer” for 1 month pretending to be really a customer. kakaibiganin nya mga staff mo magbibigay ng tip, makikipag biruan, basta extra friendly.  magbibiro sya na magtatayo sya ng laundry at magtatanong magkano sweldo ng mga staff at dodoblehin kung lilipat sila sa kanya…. yun ang ginawa sa staff ko.. lahat ginawa ng “customer” kung wala ako. di ko nameet yan “customer” kasi di kami nakapang abot!
syempre doble sweldo with free meals pa kaya kinagat ng staff ko at nagpunta sa customer ko.
masama ang loob ko sa “customer” kasi for me parang kulang or walang business ethics. i started from scratch and did my own research. i asked my friend to train my staff with minimal professional fee kaya  natuto sila. yung ginawa ng “customer” ko showed lack of maturity and no business ethics!!!
malas na lang ng “customer” bec i have plan to terminate that staff for some reasons. nagresign na ang staff ko last weekend without mentioning that she would transfer to another laundry. ang sabi nya babalik din daw sya at magpapahinga lang… its ok with me kasi napapansin na namin na she has been copying our operating procedures and taking notes of them at wala rin akong balak na tanggapin sya ulit…
-laundrygal

Hi laundrygal, sana hindi diyan sa lugar niyo rin nagpatayo ng laundry shop yung “customer”.
Is it the season for quitting jobs? Kasi umalis din yung isang staff ko after mapagsabihan ko na ayos-ayusin ang pagplantsa ng damit at mangulit sa paniningil. Di daw niya trabaho maningil. Ni hindi nagbigay ng palugit. Nagsabi yesterday morning na hindi na siya mag-report for work that day.
Buti na lang at may kinakausap na ako na prospective staff (let me clarify na hindi ako iyong nanulot ng staff ni laundrygal ha) na nagreport for work this morning. Yesterday naman buti na lang napakiusapan namin yong dating labandera ng parents ko to work yesterday. Yung bago sana ang magtatao sa pick-up station na ipapatayo ko pa lang.
blueknight1968

hi laundrygal and blueknight,

look at it on a positive way.. buti na lang at maaga pa lang nakita mo na ang ugali ng staff mo na yan. otherwise baka hindi lang ganyan ang gawin kung nagtagal pa sa yo. it only means na dishonest sya at madaling matalo ng temptations.. isipin mo na lang din na “what goes around, comes around” .
tama rin na ikaw na ang nag inititate ng resignation nya, at ipinakita mo sa ibang staff mo na pwede mo gawin ang ganyan kahit kanino sa kanila..
i would suggest for you to make a system na madaling i absorb, para ng sa ganun madali ka rin magpalit ng staff.
“a business should depend on the function of the person and not on the person”
meaning basta duplicate mo lagi ang function nya, and not her/him alone…
kaya tama si kb, ng “kuskusbalungos laundromat, NOBODY IS INDESPENSABLE” kahit pa supervisor mo sya.
oh, and don’t stoop down to the “customers” level, magsasayang ka lang ng effort at load mo. it’s not gonna make your staff go back. ,remember pinag resign mo sya..
kay blueknight, tama rin ang ginawa mong pagsabihan ang staff. remember inabsorb mo rin lang yan sa dating may ari, baka nga hindi rin tama ang ginagawa nya dati pa…
sa shop ko nga pala, transparent lahat. meaning lahat ng suppliers at trade secret ko alam ng staff ko, so anytime rin na gusto nila magtayo or lumipat sa bagong laundry shop, they can do so…di nga lang pareho ko ang magiging boss nila,
-monette-

tama si miss etten. buti aga pa lang alam mo na di honest yung staff mo. Kung tatagal pa yan baka isama ka sa pagbinta. Hayaan mo, yung umalis na staff mo pag may mag offer na naman sa kanya lilipat na naman yun. As what etten said, they can work with better pay and benefits but not with the best boss. If you look around, there are loyal employees because of the care of their boss, and because they have faith in them and the business. Let’s just strive to make our staff feel that they are a part of the business (though easier said than done).

-perpax-

Thanks Etten, KB and Perpax on your insights.

When I started managing the business 3 1/2 months ago, I told my staff na sana ma-develop nila yung “malasakit” for the business. If the biz goes bust, they would lose their jobs. If the biz succeeds naman, we can start talking about monetary incentives based on performance and better working conditions, among others. Bottomline, they have a personal stake in the health of the business.

But sometimes, short-sighted talaga. Some only consider what’s in it for them in the short-term. Kaya eto, when you begin to expect more from them, naghahanap na kaagad ng dagdag sahod eh di pa naman ganong kalakas ng business.

Buti na lang, as KB suggested, nag short-list na ako ng possible candidates for staff kaya may 2-3 referrals na ako. Kung hindi, eh di pilay ang shop ko kasi baka isa lang staff ko today.

Like Etten, sa shop ko, alam ng staff yong suppliers ng gas, detergent and plastic bags kasi pagpaubos na supply at hindi ko na-replenish inventory in time, staff ko ang nag-oorder, especially sa gas and detergent.

For me, risk factor talaga yan na baka ma-pirate staff and makuha trade secrets natin. You can only do so much to mitigate the risks. In the end, lilipat at lilipat staff natin if “better” and prospects nila sa kabila.

-blueknight-