Drive Employee Happiness: 5 Ways with Homebase

Happy teams are loyal teams. And our customers often say it’s easier to keep theirs around with the Homebase app on their side. So, we sat down with the owners and staff members of three great businesses to give you the inside scoop on how they’re using Homebase’s free employee happiness tools to boost team culture and retention and ultimately drive employee happiness.

1. No-surprises Scheduling for a Better Work-Life Balance

Mother-daughter team Val and Joi Jackson, who co-own Hairizon Beauty Bar and Boutique in Durham, North Carolina, use Homebase scheduling to boost work-life balance and help their team plan ahead for their shifts.

“I’ve worked for a lot of places that were still sending texts on Sunday night about the schedule for the next week,” says Joi. “And we’re able to do our schedule almost a month in advance. So employees are very clear on their schedule for the whole month and there are no surprises Sunday night that they have to work Monday morning.” The duo says their team also loves that they can check their schedules anytime, anywhere right in the Homebase app — and rest easy knowing it’s always up to date.

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2. Simple Shift Trades for No-hassle Coverage and Communication

Kenia Stubblefield, general manager at Houston retail shop Forth & Nomad, says Homebase has given their team a whole different way of communicating — saving everyone time and hassle when it comes to shift changes, in particular.

“The rule here is that if you need to request off — or if you're scheduled and something happens that you need to switch days — I am the last person that you talk to,” says Kenia. “You need to reach out to your team first. And Homebase gives them the capability to see who's on the schedule.” Beauty Specialist Selina, a Hairizon employee, says it’s one of her favorite features. “I love the ability to request and switch shifts and being able to chat,” says Selina. “Everyone is there, and the  communication is easy.”

3. Earnings Transparency (and Advances) for Team Peace of Mind

Mersea restaurant in Treasure Island, San Francisco, uses Homebase to give their team full visibility into their shifts, hours, and paychecks.

“Anything we do as a manager on Homebase is employee-centric,” says co-owner MeeSun Boice. “It lets our employees know if we’ve adjusted their time, so they have transparency into what we're doing with their timesheet. And they can also see how many total hours they have.” “I see how much I get paid, and it gets me excited,” adds Mersea baker Evelyn. “I don't have to wait a whole two weeks to see. And then if something is wrong, I can tell them to fix it, so it really helps.” Hairizon beauty specialist Brielle especially loves that she doesn’t have to wait until payday to receive the money she can see that she’s earned. “I love the Cash Out feature,” she says. “Life is life, so having that access to your funds earlier is great."

4. Tools to Set Your Team Up for Success & Drive Employee Happiness

Forth & Nomad’s managers rely on Homebase to prepare their team for their shifts, which they say helps to create a positive workplace culture. “It makes things a heck of a lot easier to put in different notes for what our staff are scheduled to do that day,” says General Manager Kenia. “So, whenever they walk in, they're not saying: ‘What am I doing today?’ Being able to include those messages as I'm scheduling each team member is important.” Of course, just as important as knowing what you’ll be doing is who you’ll be doing it with, says Forth & Nomad Team Lead Andrea. “I like being able to look at my schedule and see who I am working with on a certain date,” she says. “I like to mentally prepare myself for what kind of personalities I'm going to be on a shift with, and Homebase helps me do that.”

5. Shout Outs for a Job Well Done

Studies show that 82% of employees are happier when they’re recognized at work, and 63% of regularly recognized team members say they’re less likely to look for another job — stats not lost on Homebase users taking advantage of Shout Outs to recognize staff milestones, contributions, and promotions. Take it from two well-respected employees: “All the badge notifications that say things like, ‘You've been with the company for nine months,’ are a good reminder,” says Hairizon Beauty Specialist Brielle. “Sometimes when you're doing so much in life, you forget.” “Whenever an employee is promoted, everybody can see the position title change in the app,” adds Forth & Nomad General Manager Kenia. “So the recognition is there as well.” Want todrive employee happiness in your small business — and attract and retain top talent? From building trust and transparency to offering easy earning advances to your team, Homebase can help make your place a great place to work. Get started for free today!