Motivating Thai Staff

[sgunn65]

In any country staff are usually the biggest headache for any manager and here in Thailand it is no different. I am looking for advice from people who employ thai staff as to how they motivate them and keep them.

I run a small business (similar to a resort but not reliant on tourism) and employ 14 Thai Staff;

We pay 25% more that other resorts

The hours are good

They recieve half yearly bonuses and commission

The work is not too hard as we only have small numbers of guests

Given those working conditions I would have thought we would have little worries about staff retention but that isn't the case. In the last month 3 staff have left, giving no notice or reason. One was not up to the job anyway but the other two were good and hard working. They all seemed happy and my Thai wife had no indication that they were leaving. We found out after that one just didn't feel like working and another wanted an extra day off so, rather than swap with her colleague or ask (she would have been given the time off) she left.

I would love to know whether this is commonplace or are we doing something wrong. I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Has anyone got a magic wand answer please.

[way2muchcoffee]

1) Give them a legal share in the company ownership

2) Pay them triple the going rate

Either would likely increase the loyalty. Neither is really desirable for you as the owner, but there it is. Basically a Thai can get a low-paying job anywhere at any time. There is no real incentive to stay in one place so they tend to bounce around.

Edited October 15, 2008 by way2muchcoffee

[jackyseymour]

In any country staff are usually the biggest headache for any manager and here in Thailand it is no different. I am looking for advice from people who employ thai staff as to how they motivate them and keep them.

I run a small business (similar to a resort but not reliant on tourism) and employ 14 Thai Staff;

We pay 25% more that other resorts

The hours are good

They recieve half yearly bonuses and commission

The work is not too hard as we only have small numbers of guests

Given those working conditions I would have thought we would have little worries about staff retention but that isn't the case. In the last month 3 staff have left, giving no notice or reason. One was not up to the job anyway but the other two were good and hard working. They all seemed happy and my Thai wife had no indication that they were leaving. We found out after that one just didn't feel like working and another wanted an extra day off so, rather than swap with her colleague or ask (she would have been given the time off) she left.

I would love to know whether this is commonplace or are we doing something wrong. I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Has anyone got a magic wand answer please.

I recently had a conversation with a Swiss architect, amongst whose designs was a very well known resort here on Phuket.

He told me he had twelve Thai staff and stuck it out for 7 years before deciding a heart attack just wasn't worth carrying on with his design company, and retired. Chok dee.

[jackr]

2) Pay them triple the going rate

Perhaps the work is boring to them?, but certainly wouldn't offer any more money than the job is worth as they'd then think they're above their station and wouldn't be motivated to do the job in hand, as queer as that sounds.

How about having the starting wage for newbies the going rate and increasing it incrementally.

[initiala4]

Sometimes they think the work is too hard or too much hassle, they will end up quitting. In other cases I have seen them leaving in groups.

Besides they get paid minimum wage if they goto Big C and stand.

[funfun]

In any country staff are usually the biggest headache for any manager and here in Thailand it is no different. I am looking for advice from people who employ thai staff as to how they motivate them and keep them.

I run a small business (similar to a resort but not reliant on tourism) and employ 14 Thai Staff;

We pay 25% more that other resorts

The hours are good

They recieve half yearly bonuses and commission

The work is not too hard as we only have small numbers of guests

Given those working conditions I would have thought we would have little worries about staff retention but that isn't the case. In the last month 3 staff have left, giving no notice or reason. One was not up to the job anyway but the other two were good and hard working. They all seemed happy and my Thai wife had no indication that they were leaving. We found out after that one just didn't feel like working and another wanted an extra day off so, rather than swap with her colleague or ask (she would have been given the time off) she left.

I would love to know whether this is commonplace or are we doing something wrong. I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Has anyone got a magic wand answer please.

"Has anyone got a magic wand answer please."

its you that needs to change yourselfe, scary, but true, and good luck!

chris

[69690jay]

there is no magic wand. either get used to it or get used to it. In 3 years over 100 staff, we are in food and bevarage, it generaly is high turn over but this is nothing i ever imagined. For us its the biggest challage.

If you know of a good cashier, nice english speaking server and a cook that will stick around for the next few years i will kiss your feet and reward you with buckets of gold. seriously!!

[p_brownstone]

I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Please don't take offence!

What is your wifes' social status - her background?

If she is an uneducated woman - or, worse, worked in the "Nightlife" business before she married you - a lot of Thais will have no respect for her and deeply resent her having authority over them.

Even if the above does not apply in your case I would suggest you carefully observe her management style and the way she treats the staff in general, many people - not just Thais - let a bit of power go to their heads.

Patrick

[soundman]

Do not overpay or spoil your Thai staff. It is totally counterproductive in the long run.

Sure, once in in a while one or two staff will be motivated by the extra cash and consideration, however, by and large most Thai staff will never care about your business and the job is a means to an end. If you over pay and let them slack off too much, they will, in general, just become lazy and develop attitudes like "I'm to good to sweep the floor", or, "My pay rate is above having to put up with foreign customers who can't speak Thai propery, so I'll just give them what I think they need!".

Once you start to get a reputation for spoiling your staff, it will take a long time to reverse the trend as all new staff will be expecting the same "easy money" while thumbing their noses at the incompetant boss.

Sure, reward good work, punish poor performance, carrot & stick, however, keep it all in perspective when you step back and look at what the particular job is really worth to your business. There is nothing worse than throwing money at an employee you think may have potential for bigger and better things when you may have over-looked the fact that he may not want to change at all. Thai's are some of the most stubborn, and set in their ways type, people on the face of this planet. Do not be fooled by their sometimes flippant attitude. Trying to get a Thai to do something he doesn't want to do is nigh impossible.

Another thing to bear in my mind, is that many Thai's consider themselves small business entities, rather than employees, within a larger framework.

Soundman.

[Ritti]

Incentive packages, bonus that encourages them to work. E.G drop the pay slightly but let them know that achieving KPI's will result in much higher pay. I find staff are motivated by money but if they know they dont need to work harder to get it they wont

[sgunn65]

Interesting answers, thank you.

I particularly like, its you that needs to change yourselfe, scary, but true, and good luck!. What does that mean?? Since I do not have much to do with the Thai staff I am at a loss how changing myself would make a difference.

To clarify a little, my wife is Chinese Thai, a graduate and in her mid-30's (and not from the nightlife industry). Perhaps her management style is something to look at but to be honest I would not know what to look for. She seems to treat them with respect but I don't speak enough Thai to know and I don't understand enough about working culture either. Also its the younger women who leave not the guys who are generally older than her. Maybe there are better jobs out there that I don't know about.

Where we live there is not a massive amount of work available and we pay more than anyone. Maybe the jobs are not stimulating enough but that I can't change. I have offered training to anyone who wants it, also language lessons (English).

As one poster said, "get used to it" and maybe thats the best advice. At least living in a small community where jobs are scarce the drums start beating quickly and I would be surprised if three people do not turn up here today to apply for the new job. I would just rather have a steady workforce.

I

Edited October 15, 2008 by sgunn65

[lazygourmet]

In any country staff are usually the biggest headache for any manager and here in Thailand it is no different. I am looking for advice from people who employ thai staff as to how they motivate them and keep them.

I run a small business (similar to a resort but not reliant on tourism) and employ 14 Thai Staff;

We pay 25% more that other resorts

The hours are good

They recieve half yearly bonuses and commission

The work is not too hard as we only have small numbers of guests

Given those working conditions I would have thought we would have little worries about staff retention but that isn't the case. In the last month 3 staff have left, giving no notice or reason. One was not up to the job anyway but the other two were good and hard working. They all seemed happy and my Thai wife had no indication that they were leaving. We found out after that one just didn't feel like working and another wanted an extra day off so, rather than swap with her colleague or ask (she would have been given the time off) she left.

I would love to know whether this is commonplace or are we doing something wrong. I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Has anyone got a magic wand answer please.

I am, myself, an hospitality consultant, with more than a dozen years working experiences in Southeast Asia.

Since recently, I am (trying!) to focus, mainly, on F&B service excellence coaching.

Feel free to PM and I will provide details on my homepage, in which, I am frequently posting tips and thoughts about this (delicate, but essential) matter.

Wish you all the best with your venture,

Michel

[kmart]

Over-paying Thai staff encourages a sense of "entitlement" that some of them are a little prone to...

Thais are also really status-conscious, and do not like to be told what to do by anyone they consider to be socially "inferior" to them.

Try to involve them in the decision makings, and ask them for their input. Reward only loyal / hard-working staff with promotion and bonuses.

After a good job well done, take them out for a meal / night out. Do not get involved in their personal lives at all.

Good luck.

[simon43]

I think employing Thai staff is like having a Thai GF/wife. If you spoil them and are perceived to be 'weak', then they will walk all over you!

One of my best friends has remarkable 'success' with Thai GFs. When I asked him what was his secret he said 'treat them rough, never give them anything, never be the weaker half of the partnership'.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you use a cattle-prod on your Thai staff! But paying more than the going rate and 'trying' to be a nice employer often doesn't seem to be the successful route to a good employer-employee relationship in Thailand.

Be strong, be assertive, encourage where neccessary. But make sure that your staff realise that they will be out of a job in 2 minutes if they are lazy. Weird as it sounds, when I started applying that rule in my hotel business, (as opposed to being Mr Nice guy), I suddenly found that I had, (for the most part) loyal and hard-working staff.

Simon

[Smithson]

The advice of Soundman and the poster who said 'get used to it' are the best.

We have around 20 staff, who my wife manages. Every month several leave, normally without giving notice. We will not advance wages (partly) because it gives the employee an incentive to disappear. Almost half of our staff are seamstresses and they never quit.

Everytime I have a clever idea it doesn't work, my wife is much better and doesn't have a management background or uni education. I'm sure your wife is doing a good job and is better to advise than most here.

A few rules that we follow are:

- No advances

- Employees not coming in must phone

- Overtime is always paid, even if it's only 15mins.

- No fines for employee mistakes

- Always pay salaries on time

Our staff are generally hard working, those that aren't are usually the ones that quit. After four years I've given up trying to get staff to think or take responsibility - Thais seem to hate this and are much happier doing boring repetitive work. Those keen to take responsibility often become megalomaniacs!

[Sabum]

Those suggesting the Thai workers must be unhappy, bored, or that it is the OP's fault and he needs to change or ANY OTHER RATIONALISATION.... really dont actually live in this country do thay? Surely not. Look at 99% of Thai peoples resumes, you will see a long list of new jobs every 3 to 6 months, Thais have an expiry date and will almost always move on eventually. Why? I stopped wondering why about everything in Thailand as I will never figure it out and it just makes my head hurt. I tried to be smart and fight the employee turnover by paying one main employee 25,000 baht a month to do very little work.... he STILL left. In that particular case he did it for glory (he had a job offer paying a little less for 2 months but he gets treated very well) but still..... you'd think he would plan longterm and not just want immediate satisfaction in the short term.

Bottom line, most of your employees will all leave, its just the way it is. Always hire new ones in a constant state of turnover.

[Smithson]

Those suggesting the Thai workers must be unhappy, bored, or that it is the OP's fault and he needs to change or ANY OTHER RATIONALISATION.... really dont actually live in this country do thay? Surely not. Look at 99% of Thai peoples resumes, you will see a long list of new jobs every 3 to 6 months,

And these are professional ppl, at the village level ppl tend to leave earlier. Chances are there's food at home, no rent to pay and they have a family member working in Bkk who send cash.

[jdinasia]

In any country staff are usually the biggest headache for any manager and here in Thailand it is no different. I am looking for advice from people who employ thai staff as to how they motivate them and keep them.

I run a small business (similar to a resort but not reliant on tourism) and employ 14 Thai Staff;

We pay 25% more that other resorts

The hours are good

They recieve half yearly bonuses and commission

The work is not too hard as we only have small numbers of guests

Given those working conditions I would have thought we would have little worries about staff retention but that isn't the case. In the last month 3 staff have left, giving no notice or reason. One was not up to the job anyway but the other two were good and hard working. They all seemed happy and my Thai wife had no indication that they were leaving. We found out after that one just didn't feel like working and another wanted an extra day off so, rather than swap with her colleague or ask (she would have been given the time off) she left.

I would love to know whether this is commonplace or are we doing something wrong. I tend to leave all the Thai staff to my wife whilst I deal with the UK staff.

Has anyone got a magic wand answer please.

Sgunn65,

I don't think your business has been open all that long has it? If not then don't sweat it. Takes time to develop a loyal staff that sticks around.

I would suggest a few things that might help staff retention though ....

1) Do not leave all of the interactions with Thai staff to your any one person. (It is not just the 'wife' factor .. it is job satisfaction. Strangely some local staff find it easier to approach a farang (if the farang can understand them) when dealing with issues of job satisfaction. Not wanting to impose upon higher class Thais can be an issue (and not solely GrengJai ...)

2)Take a look at how assignments are done. Room cleaning etc can be done in teams of 2 as there is nothing much more boring than wandering around all day alone and cleaning up after people. Making the work environment more social will often help in staff retention.

3)Evaluate how when you have your staff eating. Is it fun? Social? interesting? Is there a break-room?

4)Personally interact with your staff on a social basis as much as possible without interfering

5)Include some away from work things (on company time) on occasion (Temple events or stuff like that --- if your staff is learning some English then they might be able to attend with your clients when you do cultural things --- or if you ran up to Erawan you could bring some with and let them do their own thing like swim in the pools or just hang and eat for a couple of hours

6) staffing in your area has the added element of locals vs: the Burmese ... be aware of it ... make staffing decisions based upon that

[jdinasia]

Look at 99% of Thai peoples resumes, you will see a long list of new jobs every 3 to 6 months, Thais have an expiry date and will almost always move on eventually. Why? I stopped wondering why about everything in Thailand as I will never figure it out and it just makes my head hurt.

I have no idea what field you have seen the CV's resumes for ..... but care to cite any source for 99% other than personal hyperbole?

Job satisfaction in ANY job will have a bearing on employee longevity.

[Sabum]

Possibly this is true, so in other words, most Thais have job dissatisfaction and that is the reason for constant job switching. I can buy that. I'm talking about average Thais working average jobs for low salary (which is pretty much most of the country isnt it?), I'm sure things are different with University educated career oriented Thais, although Ive heard a few stories of them switching companies from management friends but it probably happens less. I've always thought Thais had short attention spans, call that racist but this is what I constantly hear from bosses and it is used as the excuse for so much employee turnover.

[torrenova]

Do not overpay or spoil your Thai staff. It is totally counterproductive in the long run.

Sure, once in in a while one or two staff will be motivated by the extra cash and consideration, however, by and large most Thai staff will never care about your business and the job is a means to an end. If you over pay and let them slack off too much, they will, in general, just become lazy and develop attitudes like "I'm to good to sweep the floor", or, "My pay rate is above having to put up with foreign customers who can't speak Thai propery, so I'll just give them what I think they need!".

Once you start to get a reputation for spoiling your staff, it will take a long time to reverse the trend as all new staff will be expecting the same "easy money" while thumbing their noses at the incompetant boss.

Sure, reward good work, punish poor performance, carrot & stick, however, keep it all in perspective when you step back and look at what the particular job is really worth to your business. There is nothing worse than throwing money at an employee you think may have potential for bigger and better things when you may have over-looked the fact that he may not want to change at all. Thai's are some of the most stubborn, and set in their ways type, people on the face of this planet. Do not be fooled by their sometimes flippant attitude. Trying to get a Thai to do something he doesn't want to do is nigh impossible.

Another thing to bear in my mind, is that many Thai's consider themselves small business entities, rather than employees, within a larger framework.

Soundman.

I could hardly have put it better myself. I've employed thousands over the years and the fact is that you cannot win. You have to deal with it.

One of the biggest things you have to understand is how Thais are motivated by the term "sanuk". It comes way way before salary or job satisfaction as we perceive it and is the single most important thing to them. They are also like herd cattle or sheep. If one of their friends says it is better somewhere else or the grass is greener, they will jump ship, even if it is completely crap. Often this enticement comes not from a genuine feeling that the new position is better but rather that the enticer is jealous of the package the person their are enticing currently receives. Paying more money is not the answer and you will be looked upon as soft in the head and they will not respect you for it.

Take them out for a social gathering costing a few hundred baht a head once in a while costs you less than extra salary but has a far greater benefit in staff retention because of the sanuk and jai dee factors which rule their world.

[THAIPHUKET]

These comments are extremely valuable, not so much for understanding Thais-in-business, but it gave me a much broader annd deeper impression of the Thai-mentality than anything I´ve read here so far.

Thanks.

Will keep a print out

[bkkjames]

Just to qualify, this will give you a deeper understanding of the farang-mentality on the subject. What would be interesting is to have some Thai perspective on this. And this being a relatively anon forum, hopefully some of our Thai members can add their opinion.

[jackr]

Those suggesting the Thai workers must be unhappy, bored, or that it is the OP's fault and he needs to change or ANY OTHER RATIONALISATION....

what, like...

I've always thought Thais had short attention spans...

?

[jackr]

One of my best friends has remarkable 'success' with Thai GFs. When I asked him what was his secret he said 'treat them rough, never give them anything, never be the weaker half of the partnership'.

Women the world over

[bina]

ust to qualify, this will give you a deeper understanding of the farang-mentality on the subject. What would be interesting is to have some Thai perspective on this. And this being a relatively anon forum, hopefully some of our Thai members can add their opinion.

s we have discussed in an other thread but i can say also: sanuk i.e. the work has to be at least with one other person, and as also occurs occasionally (although less so for obvious visa reasons), people just get up and leave, same day. my husband also thought that was what he could do when he was working. he was sick of this particular job (cook), didnt like the people, and just up and left. it cost me and him a months salary that he forfeited (thats the law here), plus bad feelings from the employer, plus not being able to get copies of back salary papers and insurance that we need for visa here... and he absoutely doesnt understand why he has to give two weeks notice at least if not more to be a responsible employee.

the guys that are working in groups or are held 'captive' by visas dont move around quite as much, although also, many just up and leave for no reason that i could see (grass is greener, friend went so went to be with friend, doesnt feel like working for a week or so, whatever) and become illegal workers since their visa is tied to an employer. its enough that someone felt insulted by someone else, they get up and leave... and those that stay, it has nothing really to do with pay. it has to do with group peer pressure, if the boss is a 'good boss' (gives a few beers at end of day, gives a good bunus on holidays (not presents, bonuses), is a bit 'hard' with them, and most employers here also find it difficult to find a thai worker willing to stand out and take on a job that involves more responsibility then someone else. (these are all country guys, once in a while there is a guy who was a puu yai baan or has higher education then others, usually they go on to become tractor drivers and foremen types, with the perks that come wit the job (not money always, but perks i.e. keys to off limit areas, access to small shop when he feels like it, off time, a separate room, whatever) but this is rare. have know maybe about 5-7 guys in the past seven years that had this background out of the hundreds that i meet.

my husband, an intelligent and hard working person generally, was offerred to be in charge of a shift, was given the keys to the restaraunt and all the store rooms etc... he refused, even when offerred higher pay, as it involved 'headache' time. he prefers to stand in front of a stove and stir fry and be in charge of that little area then be in charge of a shift and deal with workers and problems (like most thai, doesnt like confrontation and responsibility means confrontation: why do u do this? why are u late? u forgot to chop the carrots. blablabla. anon hates that. he will complain to me about workers -usually from over the green line here-- but will never say a word, nor waants the responsibility. he likes to play the 'bannork' type.... really annoying since in his own business that we have on weekends, he is a very very hard worker (but no bosses!!! but him), fixing and rebuilding washing machines. perhaps casuse like many agricultural people, he wants to be his own boss, with freedom to decide for himself about himself, not answering to any one. he would rather have his own business and starve then work for someone else and be rich. i think i is a normal example for the thai men that do work.

in general though, i reiterate that thai workers beat other labour workers any day of the year... and my husband complains continuously about the israeli and other foreign workers in the restaraunts that he's worked in, and in the fields, which i find quite funny sometimes coming from him. his complains: they take too many breaks for cell phone and ciggarettes; they dont complete the work or clean up after themselves, they dont respect the other workers. but now that he's become a restaraunt worker (a stir fryer to be exact) he doesnt like being given the job of cleaning, considering it a 'lower' job. two years ago, he was picking peaches for 16 hours a day on less then minimum wage!!, now he has demands (good for him, and us, but still, i find that sometimes a bit wierd, since i have no problem cleaning toilets even if i have a college degree:) )

that is my translated thai experience (thai husband).... anon just says : tamada (regular, usual) about that sort of behaviour...

bina and anon

israel

[TopDogger]

1) Give them a legal share in the company ownership

2) Pay them triple the going rate

& @ the end of the first year they'll be demanding a payrise and an increased share in the business..

[sgunn65]

Thanks for the information. I have sort of made a rod for my own back by giving higher salaries in the (mistakenly Western) hope that it would create loyalty, and it has with the gardeners. I can't reduce salaries but I will be very mindful of this in the future.

All the staff work in pairs so its not being alone that is the problem.

Since starting the thread I have seen the worker who disapeared today (came back for her wages). It seems that the last leaver (before her) went to set up a jewellery business and now she is doing jewellery too. So some of you posters have got it bang on.

People have said be hard and I think I do need to do this, so from now on anyone who doesn't turn up without phoning us or a very good reason is deemed to have left.

I will now take a chill pill and not try to figure it out. This is the way it is and I will just keep replacing them.

This has been an interesting and informative thread. Thanks

[lazygourmet]

1) Give them a legal share in the company ownership

2) Pay them triple the going rate

& @ the end of the first year they'll be demanding a payrise and an increased share in the business..

This is fine if you want to spend your life looking for things that are wrong...

However, there is a more productive way to lead others. I think the model we need to adopt is the coaching model. Coaches look for strengths. They look at the talent they have to work with and see how they can develop it to win.

Coaches say, "You are doing well in this area, now this is the next thing we need to work on". Coaches help bring out natural talent and measure they own success by the success achieved by their players.

Coaching is inside-out education where the players see their own answers.

To improve your coaching skills, get good at asking questions.

Great coaches ask insightful, probing questions that cause their players to think. It is hard to get yourself in trouble if you are either asking or answering questions.

It is only when you are making statements (preaching or lecturing) that you tread on dangerous ground.

Nothing to do with "Culture Shock!" ; just common sense!

[Payboy]

Motivating Thai Staff

nothing can compare to the immense morale boosting afterglow of firing a farang now and then.....