Leadership that prioritizes a people-first culture makes a company a wonderful place to work. Employees feel valued, appreciated and connected, which drives trust, respect and honest communication. These companies achieve higher employee engagement, attract top talent and minimize turnover, contributing to greater overall profitability.

When leaders show they understand what’s going on in their organization and hold themselves to the same standard as everyone else, it is easier for employees to get behind the company’s mission. It’s also one of the qualities of a good manager. This is especially true in convenience stores, where frontline employees and store managers are the company’s face to customers. When they are not doing their job correctly, the result is easily visible in weak sales.

Their customer service determines whether customers return or decide to move to another company where the shopping experience is perceived as better.

It falls on store leaders to create and maintain a strong company culture. Creating a happy and healthy company culture also boosts performance, which attracts even more attention to your business and the people behind it. While this task is challenging, many examples of companies creating a winning culture exist. The best workplaces typically have a few things in common — they offer employees flexibility and strong benefit packages, including fair wages.

Furthermore, companies such as Great Place to Work offer insights and directions on fostering a business environment that achieves crave-worthy status. Great Place to Work, an organization you should be familiar with as you build your company culture, offers six key points employers should consider when hiring and training employees.

These points include:

1. Define Your Mission, Vision, and Values. Employees are more engaged when there is a goal they can get behind and a purpose to inspire them. Your core values and mission statement are the foundation of your corporate culture, which plays a significant role in your employees’ engagement. Start by creating a concise list of company core values, then train each employee in these values. Doing so will guarantee employees understand the importance of the company’s values, how they positively impact the business and what is expected of each individual.

Lead by example and hold every member of your team accountable. Failing to do so will foster a weak culture that will erode employee trust.

2. Build a Strong Company Culture. Great Place to Work has found that the human resources department typically has the crucial mission of creating a winning workplace culture. This task often begins with the recruitment process and choosing applicants who fit the profile for the role at hand, share the organization’s beliefs and will fit right in with the already established values of the company.

A strong company culture is often the fundamental factor among successful companies. On the contrary, an unproductive culture can negatively affect the organization and its leadership. When company beliefs and values are widely shared and upheld, enhanced trust and better decision-making will likely be the outcome.

Critical components of a strong company culture include:

• Valued Employees. A positive culture is the key to employees who feel valued. Make employees feel comfortable communicating and collaborating with colleagues across all levels of the organization, both professionally and personally.
• Opportunities to Grow and Learn. Prioritize individual development. Professional and personal development are critical factors to an individual’s success. Lend support to your employees, especially those hungry for knowledge, and they will become more engaged and motivated.
• Diversity and Inclusion. Inclusiveness should be a priority in every aspect of an organization. Create a culture where diversity is manifested through open communication and regular training for all.
• Workplace Trust. Create a culture based on genuineness and trust. This approach creates an inclusive environment where employees can share feedback and discuss suggestions.

3. Inspire Employee Engagement. A disengaged employee is like a car without an engine. To completely engage with an employee, HR leaders should connect with employees and be the leader that drives conversations around the team’s betterment.

Each convenience store chain is only as productive and successful as its employees. Stay encouraged during this process. Great Place to Work warned that inspiring employee engagement will take time and commitment. HR leaders who desire their workplaces to be great places to work can start by implementing a few initiatives to make employees feel appreciated, such as showing gratitude for their work, offering growth opportunities and providing feedback to employees so they feel valued and appreciated.

4. Nurture Employee Morale. Set your employees up for success and personal growth. Find those employees who have exciting potential and help them succeed. While numerous factors contribute to decreased employee morale, preserving and boosting employee morale is important to increase retention.

According to Great Place to Work, some key contributors to retention are compensation, offering opportunities to advance and ensuring employees are recognized and connected to your mission. By simply investing in employees, c-stores can show they care about their happiness. Over time, this leads to great morale, friendly policies and an inclusive company culture.

5. Take Care of Your Employees. Taking simple actions to care for your people will ensure they care for the business and make customers feel valued. When customers are satisfied, they spend more money, and, just as importantly, they tell other potential customers. If they have an unpleasant experience, they will still tell others, but it will not be good for your brand.

Acknowledge the efforts of your employees and reciprocate them. Create a healthy work environment with structure and clear goals, and your team can work together productively. Great Place to Work also advises you to know what’s essential to your employees individually to get the best out of everyone in the organization.

6. Ask for Feedback. Feedback is essential for the growth of your business, not to mention the growth and development of employees across the company. HR leadership should encourage managers to gather ongoing feedback from employees. Otherwise, how else will they identify areas of strengths and weaknesses? To make constructive decisions about their team, managers must understand opinions and are instrumental in making the workplace pleasurable. Even the best leaders cannot fix what they don’t know is broken. Communication is essential. Renewing your commitment to your employees takes time and substantial investment.

But the effort can drive results to impact your business positively. It will take time and some capital investment, but it will pay off many times when done correctly. To learn more about Great Place to Work, click here.

Elie Y. Katz is the CEO and president of National Retail Solutions (NRS).