Something that comes up a lot when we talk to business owners is the challenge of attracting and retaining employees. Training, bonuses, and paid time off are great places to start — but they come with a cost. Which makes us wonder: is investing in employee engagement really worth it?

For Royce Ard, co-owner of My Amazing Maid, the answer is a definite yes. We spoke with Royce to find out how the investments he’s made into company culture have resulted in a stronger team and a more successful business.

The video is full of great strategies you can implement today. Watch the full conversation, or jump to the minute marks below to hear our favourites!

1. Make the work meaningful

People tend to do their best work when they are motivated and understand the bigger purpose. To drive this point home, Royce takes every opportunity to remind his team why they do what they do. “This job is bigger than just cleaning people’s home. We really help make people’s lives better.” Jump to the 3:45 mark to hear how Royce and Tamara motivate their employees to clean for a reason.

2. Be realistic about time off 

Employees won’t always be able to come into work. That’s okay, says Royce, as long as they’ve scheduled it in advance. To encourage proper attendance and keep employees happy, My Amazing Maid offers a generous time off policy for employees who make their requests 10 days in advance. They also use an attendance points system that encourages attendance during busy periods without costing extra money. Head to 9:18 to get all the details.

3. Offer a clear path to success 

One of My Amazing Maid’s most successful retention strategies as been developing clear career paths for all of their employees. Royce’s advice is to start simple and roll it out slowly. Listen in at the 14:26 mark to hear about his three-tier structure and how easy it is to set up yourself. Then, check out Katie Pearse’s advice on the importance of hiring career-minded employees.

4. Tie bonuses to outstanding work 

Another unorthodox strategy My Amazing Maid uses to retain both employees and customers is bonuses. Put simply, if an eligible cleaning employee receives zero customer complaints, they get a bonus of up to $1.50/hour.

While this may seem like a big expense, Royce knows it’s justified: “We know that if a customer is complaining, they probably aren’t going to stay with us.” Jump to 16:34 to hear how this works.

5. Hire smarter with HR technology 

At Jobber Academy, we believe using the right technology is essential to running a great cleaning business. Royce agrees. “It’s just Tamara and I running the business, so we have to use tools like Jobber to help us.” For finding cleaning employees, HR software like BambooHR, Collage, and Indeed help cut down on administration so you can spend more time creating a great company culture. Listen in at 20:42 for Royce’s hiring advice.

We started this conversation with one question: when it comes to the bottom line, company culture worth the investment?

“It’s an investment, but I’d definitely encourage people to do it,” says Royce. “Having a good quality group of employees is as important as a good quality group of customers. They are the ones who touch your customers on a daily basis.”

“I’d much rather have people who’ve been with us a long time than a new bunch all of the time.”

READ MORE: Learn how to build a business where employees want to work