Keeping your staff engaged with your company and loyal to your brand is one of the most difficult things an employer can do. Even breweries have to worry about employee satisfaction and longevity. After all, even the most loyal employee will experience burnout after performing the same tasks for a long time. While giving raises can temporarily incentivize people, you can’t just offer raises every time your workers start wagging in performance.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can try doing that can keep your staff engaged. While working at a brewery is fun, people don’t take jobs for the joy of it. Usually, the benefits and terms of employment are what drive people’s enthusiasm for a position.

Offer Flexible Scheduling and Uniform Policies

Especially during the holidays and summer months, workers truly prize their freedom and days off. Offering some flexibility to your employees with scheduling can go a long way toward building employee goodwill. Letting staff select their own days off could make you very popular with your staff.

Employees also enjoy working someplace where they have more comfortable clothing options. While you want staff to look presentable and clean, allowing them to wear blue jeans along with their favorite t-shirt could make people happier to pick up shifts. Let your staff express their individuality through their clothing, and you will not only make them happier, but you will also make it clear to customers that this is a cool place to work and hang out.

Provide Trade Incentives To Staff

Of course, you probably need lots of coverage on the weekends and in the evenings. Consider offering different perks during peak demand hours. Find out what your employees like or need, and gift them with the item you know they’ll find useful.  Furthermore, employees who work during these busy times could receive more benefits, such as an additional free meal during their shift or a reduced cost or free fill for a growler or howler to take home after their shift.

You might also consider running weekly service or performance contests for your staff. Each group of employees, from brewing staff to wait staff, can have the ability to win a prize during each pay. The prize can be a kind of spot bonus, which can drive employees to perform. Whether it is beer or take-home dinner for their whole family, offering your staff the benefits of the products you produce can incentivize better performance.

Partner With Local Business To Offer More

As a brewery, you are uniquely positioned to attract people from your community to your business. There are many other local businesses that have staff coming to your brewery after work. Consider establishing an informal agreement with management or owners at a local restaurant or shop.

Perhaps they can offer your staff a discount, provided that you offer a discount to theirs. Maybe you can rent out your banquet room once a month for the local gym to have a staff meeting. They, in turn, can offer your employees discounted rates at the gym. The potential for incentives here is nearly endless. 

As a small business owner, you may not have the money to give raises every six months or offer robust benefits packages. However, so long as you focus on keeping your staff happy and well compensated, there are many creative solutions to improving employee engagement and work satisfaction.