Turnover Is Costly! Learn to Motivate, Engage and Retain Your Self-Storage Team in Today’s Competitive Labor MarketTurnover Is Costly! Learn to Motivate, Engage and Retain Your Self-Storage Team in Today’s Competitive Labor Market

In today’s competitive labor market, one of the smartest things a self-storage owner or supervisor can do is invest time and effort to motivate and engage the talented people they already employ. Turnover is costly on several levels; instead, focus on retention! In this article, you’ll learn how to truly gratify your facility team, so they want to stick around and do good work.

Anne Mari DeCoster

January 14, 2025

7 Min Read
A group of happy employees holding puzzle pieces in a circle

In a competitive labor market where it seems job-seekers hold all the cards, it’s important for self-storage operators to hold on to their well-trained and knowledgeable staff. Turnover is expensive! But with so many employment opportunities available, how do you convince your best people to stay?

Let’s explore the reasons why team motivation and engagement are so important in today’s self-storage industry and the many benefits of investing in retention. I’ll share strategies for keeping your people happy and productive and rewards you can offer them beyond pay increases and bonuses. I’ll also discuss what to do when you’re concerned that a valued employee may be on the way out and the role of work culture in maintaining a productive workforce.

The Benefits of a Happy Team

Motivated, engaged team members tend to stay in their jobs for longer. According to a recent blog post by Quixy, a cloud-based platform that specializes in no-code web and app development, “A highly engaged team can experience a 41% reduction in absenteeism, 50% less turnover and 28% less internal theft.” That’s good news for self-storage owners, as it’s expensive to replace staff.

U.S. employers spend $2.9 million per day searching for replacement workers, Quixy reports. Global analytics and management-consulting firm Gallup estimates that employers are losing $1 trillion per year due to voluntary turnover, and the cost of replacing an employee can conservatively range from one-half to two times that person’s salary.

Related:Self-Storage Leadership Redefined: Building a Stronger, More Sustainable Business

There’s an additional cost to staff loss in the self-storage industry. When your facility managers leave to work for the competition, those other operators gain an advantage in your market. There can be a domino effect, too. Often, when one valued employee leaves, others follow, demotivating the entire team.

It makes good sense to invest in retention. Not only are there financial advantages, it helps you build and sustain a corporate culture in which team members thrive and want to remain, according to Don Wenner, author of “Building an Elite Organization.”

Keeping Them Content and Productive

To motivate your self-storage team members and inspire loyalty, you must focus on compensation and career development. This includes competitive pay and financial incentives for achieving key performance indicators (KPIs). When everyone has KPIs, they know exactly what they’re aiming for, “what a win looks like,” says James Reid, owner StorCo Storage, which operates three self-storage facilities in two states.

Related:Finding Balance: A Candid Discussion About Fair Compensation for Self-Storage Resident Managers

Offering opportunities for increased responsibility, authority and promotion keeps self-storage employees motivated and striving for success. No one wants their career to stagnate. Strong staff seek growth and advancement. Offering training, mentorship, and professional development helps them grow, enhancing their power and productivity.

One extremely effective strategy for keeping your people happy is to find out what motivates each one individually. Wilson Learning Corp., which helps companies improve employee engagement, has identified four main personality types:

  • Drivers are motivated by results such as more money, a promotion or power.

  • Expressives desire applause in the form of publicly celebrated wins and gratitude.

  • Amiables like attention, such as words of affirmation, whether in public or private.

  • Analytics like activity and just want to be left alone to focus on their work.

Other personality indices use different names like Beaver, Golden Retriever, Lion and Otter, but they all require different types of rewards. The goal is to find out what matters most to each of your self-storage team members. You can ask them directly or use a digital survey. When onboarding new hires, inquire about their preferred gifts. Here are a few popular answers:

Related:No-Stress Employee Reviews: How to Have Productive Performance Discussions With Your Self-Storage Team

  • Amazon or Starbucks gift card

  • Donation to a charity of their choice

  • Flowers, food or beverage delivered to home or office

  • Team parties or cultural events

  • Tickets to a sports event or concert

  • Travel points for airfare or hotel

  • Extra time off

Pay attention to your team and use what you learn to reward them in a personal way. For example, if an employee loves flowers and is celebrating a milestone birthday, send a special bouquet to their home. If you know they love the beach and they blow their quarterly KPIs out of the water, surprise them with a trip to the Bahamas. Being observant shows people you care. When they know you care, they’re more likely to stick around.

Another very obvious but often overlooked way to reward your self-storage employees without having to offer money (or things that cost money) is to simply celebrate their achievements. Everyone appreciates being appreciated.

Finally, don’t forget about benefits like health insurance. Subsidize as much as you can and, if possible, extend the offer to family members. An advantage like this can have tremendous value in today’s economy, fostering strong loyalty and attracting top talent. If cost is a concern, consider using a professional employer organization (PEO) to offer top-notch benefits to your team. PEOs leverage economies of scale to provide superior benefits that might otherwise be out of reach.

In the Face of a Potential Exit

If you think one of your valued self-storage team members might be preparing leave, address it directly. Have an open conversation to ask if they’re satisfied and how their experience with your company could be more fulfilling.

Gallup reports an 18% decrease in staff turnover for businesses that regularly engage their employees. Hubspot adds that 69% of employees would work harder if their efforts were better recognized. So, regularly interact with your self-storage team. Ask for their feedback, and acknowledge and reward their efforts.

After getting input from your employee, do something about it. You aren’t just trying to placate them. Alignment between what you say and what you do is critical. Respond with positive changes that increase motivation.

If your staff member has been offered a new opportunity and you can’t counter with a competitive offer, celebrate their success and bless their departure. Deliver this message publicly and within your company. It’s great when companies do this on LinkedIn, bidding farewell to team members who are moving on to new challenges.

Just remember, there’s official messaging and then there’s the undercurrent—what people say beyond the owner’s or supervisor’s earshot. Watch for this and address unhelpful messages while reinforcing the core value of open and honest communication without gossip or retaliation. This is a value every self-storage organization should have.

As President Barack Obama said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” Use it to advance your agenda: to build and sustain a happy, motivated and productive self-storage team with staying power. Use turnover to perform a career health check with your employees so you can help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

The Impact on Work Culture

Fifty years ago, it was common for companies to host picnics, parties and trips to bring families together. Society was more family-centered, and so were employers. Honors and award banquets used to be regular events, as were local news articles honoring employees’ personal and professional achievements. That was just how businesses operated if they wanted to keep good employees.

Yesterday's basic standards are now seen as exceptional corporate culture. Employers should remember what made jobs fulfilling for previous generations. Even in our high-tech world, old-school wisdom still plays a crucial role in retaining good staff.

Whether viewed as common sense or a trendy business ethos, corporate culture is increasingly vital to employees. It’s more than just words; your daily actions as a self-storage owner or supervisor shape your organization. How you treat people sets the tone for your entire company, and people will follow your lead.

What type of self-storage leader do you want to be, and what kind of corporate culture do you want to create? By being a strong supporter who celebrates success, you'll foster a more motivated team and enjoy better retention.

Anne Mari DeCoster is a self-storage professional with more than two decades of experience in all aspects of development and operation. She excels in growing revenue and developing business and strategic planning. She also has expertise in the design, development and delivery of new products, services, programs and companies. Reach her at [email protected].

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