Beyond Paychecks: How to Make Your Chamber Staff Feel Truly Appreciated

If you are fortunate enough to have a staff, you likely understand the importance of your chamber's culture in retaining people.

Chambers struggle with employee retention because limited budgets (and a nonprofit mentality) mean talk of salaries is often seen as a taboo topic. But with high-stress, long work hour environments, you can’t just sweep it under the rug or make employees and interviewees feel like salaries are low so you can do “more good” and assist more businesses.

It shouldn’t be a matter of choosing between paying your employees fair compensation and assisting businesses. That’s not the right conversation.

Plus, it doesn't help that your staff gets to know member businesses, and their hard work doesn't go unnoticed, resulting in unintentional "poaching."

While none of us like to stand in the way of career progression, we do want to retain quality employees. But how do you do that when you have the challenges of being underpaid and overworked? You must flip the script when recruiting and move beyond just talking about salary.

That begins with value. A valued employee is a happy one, but you can’t just tell your employees they’re valued. You must show them.

Ways to Make Your Chamber Staff Feel Valued

If you think about why you became a chamber professional and what keeps you in the position through the hardest of days, you will have some insights into how to retain employees. As a chamber pro, you know the importance of feeling valued and knowing you’re a part of something much larger than the organization itself.

Their Efforts Make a Difference

Chamber professionals contribute daily to the economic development of their areas—across industries. Few people can say that and understand the level of satisfaction that comes from success in that arena.

One of the most effective ways to help an employee understand the importance of what you do is to make sure they feel the words behind your mission. They’re not just answering the phone; they’re providing information that businesses need to succeed. They’re not just going to another city council meeting; they’re speaking up for business owners who can’t do it for themselves. The actions of chamber employees directly impact the business community, and that’s a big deal.

Help your employees see the larger picture and how their role contributes to a better quality of life for all. No, there isn’t a campaign to prove how chamber of commerce professionals are heroes in their community, but there should be. You are a sounding board, an advocate, a cheerleader, and a problem-solver for the backbone of our economy. Understanding and feeling that can go a long way to combatting the stresses of a bad day.

Additional Ways to Show Employees They Are Valued

Provide regular feedback and recognition for employees' accomplishments, formally and informally.

Celebrate milestones, birthdays, or other achievements.

Offer opportunities for professional development, such as training programs, conferences, or heading up a program in an area they’re passionate about.

Establish an informal mentorship program to help employees develop their skills and advance their careers.

Create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and feedback without fear of reprisal. If someone jeopardizes your work in this area at any time, deal with it as quickly as possible. Board members, peers, and other chamber stakeholders should not be allowed to make your staff feel undervalued and unimportant.

Review your employees’ efforts periodically to ensure they’re meeting expectations and that you understand their interests and talents. In a chamber, departments needn’t be siloed. For instance, if your member coordinator loves social media and has time to create posts or monitor interaction, give them the opportunity even if they aren’t officially in marketing.

Communicating value is the right place to start, but it’s just the beginning. You also need to address the other reasons your staff may be tempted to leave.

Build an Awesome Culture

The stress of the job is easier to handle when the culture of the chamber is something they love. Culture is not something that happens overnight. You’ll have to work on it with a strategic focus on your culture goals. Here are a few ways you can do that:

Create a positive work environment where employees feel supported, respected, and appreciated. This isn’t just about you and your actions. Be selective in who you bring on as board members, as the wrong choice can deride the culture you are trying to build. Speaking of...

Recruit strong leadership. Look for business leaders who promote a culture of transparency, trust, and collaboration.

Organize team-building activities to strengthen relationships among employees and promote a sense of camaraderie. You do it for your members. Do it for your staff as well.

Invest in onboarding. Make sure new employees feel welcome and supported from day one with an onboarding program. Ensure you’re not too busy to make them feel important that first day and every subsequent one.

Reduce Stress and Improve Work-Life Balance

Chamber work can feel like a 24/7 job. You may even get stopped to talk business while having dinner with your family at a local restaurant or when you’re out buying groceries. What initially felt like a calling and a community need, can erode into feeling like a burden after a while. That’s why you and your staff need a way to reduce stress and improve work-life balance.

This must be modeled from the top. It doesn’t do you any good to talk about boundaries if you’re not implementing them yourself. Your employees will also be nervous about doing as you say if they see you’re not following the same practices you’re telling them to. It will create a disconnect that may breed guilt (you’re working when they aren’t) or mistrust (you are now a martyr for the cause, having to work harder because they aren’t).

Consider the following ideas to help your staff (and yourself. But, again, launch these ideas only if you are ready to follow them too.)

Flexible Work Arrangements. Implement flex work, such as remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks to help employees manage their work-life balance.

Workload Management. Regularly assess workloads to ensure they are manageable and distribute tasks evenly among staff. Hire replacements promptly. If you can’t, get overflow temps (or freelancers) in place while you find the perfect candidate. Don’t rely on staff to pick up the work of an empty position indefinitely.

Stress Management Programs. Provide access to stress management programs or resources. You may not have the budget for employee assistance programs (EAPs), but you can work with a member to provide mindfulness workshops and other stress management assistance. Sometimes, even an evening (or afternoon) out can help or an open conversation about struggles.

Encourage Breaks. Encourage employees to take regular breaks throughout the day and to use their vacation time to rest and recharge. When they’re on vacation or taking a day, don’t contact them. If they’re going out on leave or vacation, don’t say things like “How will I manage without you?” While this sounds like a compliment and nod to their importance, it has the exact opposite result—they feel guilty, overwhelmed, and suffocated.

Address the "Luring Away" Problem

We all want our members to be successful, but not when it comes at the cost of the chamber. First, understand why people are leaving. Is it salary? Growth opportunity? A position more in line with what they went to school for?

Some of those things are “fixable,” while others were bound to happen no matter what you did as a chamber leader. For instance, losing an employee because they’ve always dreamed of working for a life science company and your member approached them about an opening, isn’t something you can change in your chamber’s culture. However, understanding your employees’ interests, goals, and skills can help you from getting blindsided by an employee departure.

On the other hand, if money is behind their departure, you may need to evaluate the salary of the position. Are you compensating people fairly for their skills and the rise in the cost of living?

Even though this article is about moving away from paychecks and communicating the chamber culture, in today’s economy, salary is a decision-maker for many, so compensation and benefits can't be ignored.

Improve Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is important but a benefits package is not just about salary. It’s about every perk of employment. Here’s how you can be more competitive on a fixed salary and limited benefit offerings.

First, conduct a salary review (and schedule periodic reviews in the future). You want to ensure your chamber’s salaries are competitive with other organizations in the community and industry.

Next, while you may not have it in your budget to increase salaries in large increments, consider how you might offer performance-based bonuses to reward employees for their contributions. For instance, if they blow out your sales goals for event sponsorships, can you offer a bonus? The massive increase in sponsorship money would offset the one-time bonus. You could do the same for member recruitment or ad sales.

Additionally, consider the benefits you can offer. Some people value the ability to work from home. Creating a hybrid work environment can make the chamber more competitive, as can an extra perk. For example, work with a member to offer a free gym membership for staff. That’s a perk they might not expect but would appreciate. Do they have a side hustle or hobby that you can share with others? Would they enjoy being able to bring their dog to work? Find out what’s important to them and communicate how you might help them to make those things happen.

Finally, look for ways you can be competitive. For instance, health insurance might not be in the budget, but an extra week of vacation could be. Get creative on what you can offer. You never know what will excite someone about working with you. The more unusual the benefit, the more interested they may be.

By taking these steps, Chambers can create a better culture that makes leaving harder for employees. Showing employees they are valued and taking steps to improve their compensation, work-life balance, and growth opportunities will go a long way in improving employee retention.

Remember, building a positive workplace culture takes time and effort, but the investment is well worth it. Happy employees are more productive, engaged, and loyal, which benefits you, your board, your members, and the greater business community.

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