Month: March 2017

It appears that the association of commercial hanging baskets outside pubs, etc. goes back a long way.

In Roman times, ‘tabernae’, from which we derive the word ‘tavern’, would declare their presence with a bunch of leaves on a pole – officially, vine leaves, but one assumes they used anything similar they could get hold of in Roman Britain.

Because the pole and leaves loosely resembled a bush, that became one of the earliest pub names in the country – The Bush.

Extract from an article in The Scarborough Evening News on 28 Apr 2016

This early symbolic practice is probably at the heart of the dazzling displays of colour we often see outside some of the nicest pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels today.

One of the most frequent answers we have come across to the question “Why do Pubs Restaurants and Hotels have commercial hanging baskets?” can be summarised as follows:

Beautiful Hanging Baskets provide colour and attract customers.

“It is a known fact that how a Pub, Restaurant or Hotel looks is a key decision factor in determining whether a potential customer WALKS IN or WALKS BY.”

– Is Your Pub Ready For Summer? by Greene King

Beautiful baskets, window boxes and exterior plant displays can instantly transform the front and back of your pub, making all the difference between a customer walking in or walking by.

Using a commercial supplier to install and maintain your hanging baskets for you leaves you free to concentrate on serving your customers. There’s no need to worry about remembering to water them or having to replant them each season and you can be sure that your outside spaces are beautiful not only through the summer but right through the whole year.

Here some of the benefits

• A great looking exterior can draw people into your premises
• No floor-space used so maximum number of customers can be achieved
• High-level plants and flowers have more visual impact
• Hide areas that really need redecorating/refurbishing
• Create a natural area to relax where customers stay longer
• Full maintenance means they look great all year round with no input from you

In an Interview with a retired Pub Owner who was asked why he put on such an extravagant display of flowers and plants, he said:

“It’s great for business. The regulars loved it. It caught the eye, got punters through the door. People noticed the flowers when they went by on the bus. Then they came back to check out the place. I can’t understand why all pubs don’t do it.”

People love a good, positive, company culture and being associated with an innovative brand. But actually, your brand and your company culture are really created by your people – they make the atmosphere of your organisation what it is, and ultimately the image that your customers see.

“To be the best place to buy you must be the best place to work. Treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated, maybe even better.” Shep Hyken, customer service expert and author

As the quote highlights, you must “treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated.” Therefore, any Office Manager or HR Manager must aim to create a culture and workplace that not only retains employees, but attracts employees. But how do you attract and retain the top talent?

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald on this subject, the secrets to retaining top talent is as follows:

1. Celebrate success
2. Create an open and honest work environment
3. Connect their work to a higher purpose
4. Provide opportunities to grow and learn
5. Create a stimulating work environment

1. Personal and professional development.

One way is to allow for personal development is offer flexible working hours to all your staff. This can be dependent upon your industry, but letting employees know you care about them is a sure way to attract and retain key players. When given the opportunity to build upon their professional development, staff will appreciate being able to connect with others in their field and increase their own area of expertise.

2. Make the environment enjoyable.

Typically, your workers will spend at least 8 hours in your office, and a lot of that will be daylight hours. Outdoor areas can be useful, but why not try bringing it inside? Indoor plants and displays create life and can help employees to remain productive and calm, especially if they have high-intensity roles. Plants will brighten the atmosphere, helping employees to suitably relax – and relaxed employees are loyal employees.

3. Help maintain concentration.

Plants not only produce oxygen, they absorb toxins which can build up in
 enclosed environments, helping to increase the likelihood of employees staying healthier. Keeping the office air fresh will help your workers to concentrate. Being able to concentrate means it takes less time to complete a task, and that means spending less time in the office. Surely that will attract the best employees!

So there we have it – that’s 3 ways to help attract and retain top talent. It’s all about caring for the people in your business.

If you would like to find out more about how office plants can help attract and retain top talent in your organisation please contact us or call us on Freephone 01324 861300

“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” Richard Branson