TAMPA, Fla. — School is winding down and many teens are looking for summer jobs. And, they may be in luck! With many businesses looking for workers, teens can be a great asset to getting your business back on track.
For one South Tampa business, teens are a vital part of her team.
"They really have a lot to offer. They want to work, they want to make money. They love making money and it's teaching them great life lessons," said Peggy Davenport, who owns Davenport's Daily Delights.
Her business is making and delivering homemade weeknight meals for families across the Tampa Bay area.
"Our business is about nine years old, and for eight years we've hired teens to help in the kitchen in the summer. We've hired them to do deliveries which is the primary source of our hiring teens. They fill in when we do events and parties and different things like that, but they're a great resource for us to hire."
Davenport says business owners need to remember, there is a learning curve for these workers, so you need to be a mentor as well.
"Most of them, this is their first job, so we have to teach them responsibility. We have to teach them time management, customer service since we are very customer service driven."
Davenport also says they've been really lucky. By working with the teens, around their schedules, showing them respect and paying them well, they find great workers. She actually has a waiting list of people wanting to work for her this summer, instead of a shortage of workers.