Episode 42: The Value of Communication with Employees in your Business
Vonda and Lori are back with their third "C" — after conflict and comparison, this one might be the most important of all: communication. Lori jokes that she has a bachelor's degree in communication and still had to dig back into her notes for this one, and that's kind of the point. Communication feels like common sense, but as the hosts put it, your common sense comes from your experience — and your newest employee doesn't have it yet. Here are the six steps they walk through, all timed perfectly for a shop heading into the holidays.
Be clear, concise, and jargon-free
Floral industry jargon backfires with new employees and customers alike. Rattle off "pittosporum" or "Biedermeier" to someone outside the industry and you've lost them — Lori admits she'd be picturing Beetlejuice. Simplify your language, and outline the end result you expect from every instruction.
One Flower Clique member learned this with something as basic as washing buckets. She sent a new employee to clean buckets, and the employee cleaned them the way you'd clean a bucket in your backyard — not to flower-shop standards. Nobody was wrong; the owner had simply assumed knowledge the new hire couldn't have. Don't assume everyone shares your background, experience, or "street smarts."
Set the tone at the top
Match your actions to your words. As a former shop owner, Vonda knew that if she expected somebody to do a task, she needed to model it herself. Lori tells the story of a family friend who co-owns steel companies in Cleveland: he started out learning every job in the mill, down to the custodial work, so no employee can bring him a complaint he can't genuinely say "I've been there" about.
This matters more than ever as the hosts see more people investing in flower shops without floral backgrounds. If the owner hasn't walked in the staff's shoes, a strong manager becomes the communication hub — with a free, open line to the owner and strategic weekly check-ins so nothing falls through the cracks.
And whatever rules you lay down — no gossip, no phones on the design floor — you have to live by them too. "Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work with kids, and it doesn't work with staff. Before you set a rule, ask yourself: am I willing to follow this one myself?
Understand your employees — and tell them first
Drawing on a classroom-teaching background, the hosts frame it like a teacher would: every employee learns differently. Some are auditory learners, some visual; extroverts will tell you when they don't get it, while introverts may quietly nod along. Owners have to pay closer attention to the quiet ones to make sure they understand and feel like part of the team.
Just as important: notify your employees before the public. If you've decided to stop doing big weddings, your staff needs the verbiage before a bride walks in for a consultation — and the designer who lives for wedding work deserves to hear it from you, not through the grapevine. (It might even change your mind.) The same goes for smaller things, like launching Petal It Forward or a virtual open house: don't let part-timers find out from social media or a confused Wednesday shift. A group text or staff email chain keeps everyone in the loop, especially with COVID schedules keeping people in and out of the shop.
Train often and communicate regularly
Continuing education — floral design, sales, technology — is good for the business and makes employees feel valued and invested in. The hosts point to owners who bring their whole teams to allied florist events, SAF, and AIFD, and how proud those employers get watching their people grow.
Then be consistent: a Tuesday all-staff email, a Friday morning Zoom, regular staff meetings, and one-on-one check-ins. And when you check in, don't ask for "feedback" — ask for advice. Feedback feels risky to give a boss; advice makes the employee feel valued, and you'll actually hear the truth. Over-communicating beats under-communicating every time: it's far better to tell people something they already know than to hear "you never told me that." Put standing guidelines — like your current COVID protocols — in writing so everyone's on the same page.
Holiday scheduling: ask, don't assume
This is the timely one. As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, don't just assume your designer will work her usual extra hours and every-other-Saturday like last year — ask her, now. Being asked is a respect thing; it gives employees a say and makes them feel like the essential team members they are. And remember some employees are scared to request time off at all, so open the door to that conversation before the holiday crunch hits.
Key takeaways
- Never assume common sense — spell out expectations clearly and skip the industry jargon with new hires and customers.
- Model every rule you set; your team watches what you do more than what you say.
- Tell your staff about business changes before they hear it on social media — especially changes that affect their favorite work.
- Ask for "advice" instead of "feedback" in one-on-ones and you'll get honest answers.
- Confirm holiday schedules with each employee now instead of assuming last year's arrangement still stands.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist