Don’t Forget the Holiday Party for Your Employees
During the holiday season, we’re so busy making sure our customers are feeling the love, our employees are often left out. And that’s okay. Employees you want to keep want to be busy… they want to earn more tips, make the shift fly by and maybe get some overtime. Then, when they’re not at work, they want to be preparing for their own holidays.
That’s why holiday parties after the holidays seem to work best for everyone in this business. Here are some ideas to make your holiday party even more successful:
- Poker party – Whenever you provide some type of game that forces people to move around and interact, you’ll build relationships between people who rarely communicate. Poker, bunko and even charades are all easy ways you can add excitement to your party.
- Comedy club – Sure, you could all go to the comedy club, but consider bringing entertainment in-house since you already have the space, food and drinks. Music is great, but often too loud to let guests really interact. A comedian with a couple of short acts can add a lot of fun to your party.
- Who me? – Ask team members to write down two things about themselves that may be a surprise (like “once hitch-hiked to Mexico” or “class president in high school”). Then mix them up and read each one to the group. Team members guess who it is and after all the statements are made, the answers are revealed and everyone learns more about their co-workers.
- Award ceremony – The holiday party is the perfect time to publicly award your team. On top of achievement awards, create enough contests that everyone can win something. Door prizes, baby photo contests (match your team member with the photo) as well as all-in-fun prizes (best smile, loudest laugh, etc.) ensures that everyone wins something.
Restaurant Staffing: Ask the Right Questions
As back to school approaches, many restaurant managers will lose some good employees when their schedules and commitments change. When interviewing potential new servers, try asking questions that will uncover the applicant’s strengths and challenges… and find out what’s really behind that friendly smile.
- “Tell me about yourself.” Watch body language here. Is there eye contact? Smiling? Good diction? It’s more important that a person can communicate well here than what is said.
- “Have you been applying with restaurants or other businesses?” If so, what type? Those who truly enjoy serving others are only looking for jobs that involve service.
- “Would you consider yourself to be an honest person?” Of course, an applicant will say “yes” here, but then make this request: “Tell me about a time when you demonstrated your honesty.” Was there an honest response?
- “On a scale of one to 10, how hard do you work?” Then ask “Why do you rate yourself a __?” A truly hard worker will mention past work schedules, school achievements, athletic endeavors, etc.
- “Why do you want to work here?” If you don’t hear an answer that includes the applicant enjoys working with people, keep interviewing.
Raise the Bar on Employee Expectations
Your employees will rarely perform above your expectations. That’s why you should keep raising them. Constant feedback will show your employees where they stand — and where they should be going.
If you’re bending the rules for one low-performing employee, the rest of your staff will certainly notice. Low standards produce low morale and low performance levels throughout your operation. That’s why you can’t be afraid to discipline when you see a problem. Here are some tips on doing it effectively:
- Discipline immediately
- Be specific in explaining the problem
- Focus on the performance problem, not the employee
- Ask for the employee’s help in solving the problem
- Reach an agreement and write it down
- Express confidence in the employee’s ability to solve the problem
- Praise the employee at the first sign of improvement
Improve New-Hire Orientation
A lot rides on the proper orientation of your new employees. For one thing, it sets the tone for their entire experience at your restaurant, contributing in large part to how well they perform and how long they stay. If you get started off on the wrong foot you could lose the new hire before he or she even settles into the position.
The importance of a standardized orientation process can’t be overstated. Yet many managers get into the habit of taking shortcuts, giving new hires a tour of the place and a few guidelines, then tossing them into the fire of the shift. Don’t make the same mistake. During the first week of employment, build confidence and comfort with the job, avoiding these misconceptions.
Misconception: Employee orientation is the manager’s job.
Reality: It’s everybody’s job — from managers to co-workers — to help newcomers phase into the position. Assign one or two of your top employees to shepherd recent hires until they’re up and running at full speed.
Misconception: It’s best to orient new hires fully before turning them loose.
Reality: Some things — company policies and procedures, general employee information, and the like — can be covered in an orientation manual or in discussions with the boss, but it takes time on the floor for new employees to pick up the ins and outs of the job. Part of learning to swim is getting into the water.
Misconception: No two employees are alike. That’s why orientation should be unstructured, allowing you to match it to the individual.
Reality: There’s nothing wrong with tailoring orientation for individual needs, but the core of the process should be standardized. All your employees should have emerged from the same starting point. Use an orientation checklist to keep everything on track.
Misconception: It’s up to managers from time to time to review the effectiveness of the orientation process.
Reality: The more useful measure comes from employees themselves. Ask them what they think, using a comment card they can fill out anonymously. If your staff was less than thrilled with orientation, it’s time to make some changes.
Hire the Best Servers by Asking the Right Questions
Guest service is the business you’re in. Without it, you can’t survive. What’s more, your guests continually raise the bar on you, challenging you daily to meet or exceed their expectations. It takes a special type of individual to want to “wait” on or be of service to others. These are the people you are looking for. Try these questions to find them:
“Do you enjoy taking care of others?” Probable answer: Yes.
Follow-Up Question: “Describe a time when you’ve taken care of other people.” Listen for a specific instance, enthusiasm.
“What is your idea of great service?” Probable answer: Smile, friendly, anticipating.
Follow-Up Question: “How did you deliver great service in your last job?” Listen for a specific example, descriptions of communication skills.
“What do you do when someone asks you a question and you don’t have an answer?” Listen for finding the answer or providing name of someone who can answer the question.
Turn the Tables on Turnover in 2011
Is reducing turnover in your restaurant on your list of New Year’s Resolutions this year? You’re not alone. Even in today’s economic market when there are more applicants than ever applying for jobs, turnover is still a problem in restaurants. Having more applicants to choose from makes the job of hiring the right people – people who will stay – more challenging than ever.
Savvy operators already realize that turnover has a profoundly negative effect on the service their guests receive. Customers hate turnover. Why? Service becomes inconsistent or shuts down completely. Managers and staff are cranky from working double shifts. The extra cost of continually recruiting and training new restaurant employees has to be covered somewhere — that could mean raising menu prices. And pity the poor customers who have questions about the menu and hear this from one of your new servers: “Uh, sorry, I don’t know … Today’s my first day … I guess I could check with those guys in the kitchen.”
Turnover makes your restaurant a far less inviting place to be. And your customers will show you how they feel about it simply by not returning. So how do you break the cycle?
1. Become a better recruiter so you’ll attract more suitable applicants.
2. Become a better interviewer so you can select only the best candidates.
3. Become a better leader so those employees will want to stay.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as 1-2-3. If you want to truly improve your turnover rate this year, you need some solid ideas that will help you improve your recruiting, hiring, and retaining of employees.
Change Is Good for Restaurant Teams
When teams begin to form, work roles will change. So begin preparing for the inevitable resistance. It will start with the familiar complaint: “That’s not my job,” or an assortment of variations: “We’ve never done it that way before,” and “Do I get a pay increase for doing that?” Many of the problems that teams suffer generally fall under the category “resistance to change.”
No matter how hard managers push employees toward constantly improved performance, there will always be those employees who prefer stable, predictable work — jobs that can be explained on a half-page job description and mastered in a half-day training session. After all, it’s just restaurant work … right?
In a team environment, employees will often be asked to learn several jobs, be ready to switch jobs, move into leadership positions, master new skills and back up others. It’s no wonder you’ll find resistance.
Nowhere is this resistance stronger than among supervisors and managers. For many, not only will their job duties change, but they will be asked to change their communication style, the way they give instructions and how they use their power. “Position power,” based on title, gives way to personal power. And when you ask people to give that up and help out the lower-level employees, expect that a few feathers will be ruffled.
When you make the decision to change your culture, no one will be exempt from the pain of that change. But don’t let that scare you. Instead, think about how best to introduce the change — gradual change is often best.
And think of how you will deal with those who are hurt by the change. It’s often easiest if everyone on staff is asked to make changes. There shouldn’t be any exemptions — particularly among management staff. If egos become bruised, treat the injured parties with respect and care. Leaders and supervisors who lose their authority and whose concerns are ignored can poison the rest of the team with their grievances.
Excerpted from All For One: 52 Ways to Build a Winning Team. This innovative book is part of the 52 Ways series of restaurant management books that offer one idea a week to increase profits, improve staff morale, reduce turnover, and make more money! Buy four 52 Ways books, get one free!
Better Hiring: Use an Interview Agenda
The key to better managing your labor costs is to turn over the applicants, not the employees. How? Become a better interviewer. The most important part of any interview comes in the planning. Being well prepared will send a clear message to applicants that you’re serious about finding only the best people to work in your restaurant.
Use this interview agenda as a baseline to create your own:
Greet the applicant and put him or her at ease with small talk.
- Explain what you hope to accomplish with the interview.
- Tell the applicant that you’ll be taking brief notes.
- Ask questions from a prepared question list.
- Follow the 80/20 rule: Let the applicant do 80 percent of the talking — you should only speak 20 percent of the time.
- Review the job description. Answer any questions the applicant may have.
- Finish by explaining your timetable and the next step in the hiring process.
How to Integrate New Employees into Your Restaurant Team
Your new server seems bright enough and she’s got more experience than most of the people on your team, so why not fly through training and get her out on the floor? Well, maybe because she’ll walk out the door if you do.
Why? Because the more employees know, the less stress they feel. And according to a recent Gallup poll, 80 percent of us say we feel stress on the job, while 40 percent admit we need help managing this stress. Add that fact to the stress that naturally comes from a new job and you’ll see why many new employees don’t stick.
Here’s how to increase the odds and create a more productive team while you’re at it…
- Invest the time. It’s tempting to ask one person to “show ‘em the ropes,” but the more detailed your training plan is the more successful it will be. Assign different people different orientation tasks. Have your star server share his or her selling techniques, ask the chef to describe how he creates specialty dishes, and encourage the host to introduce regulars. Not only will new hires benefit from an array of perspectives, they’ll also get to know their team members.
- Go beyond the basics. Yes, your team members need to know how to perform their jobs, but they also need to know why they should care about your company. Explain your concept, tell them your own philosophy, and show them testimonials, awards and letters you’ve received. Enthusiastic employees make the best salespeople!
- Motivate them. Before you can effectively train anyone, you need to convince them why they want to learn the information. If you’re turning new servers into salespeople, be sure that your training is centered on the benefits – greater tips! – they’ll receive.
- Assign a buddy. For the first few shifts, have your team member follow around one of your star employees. It’s the best way to have hands-on training without the stress of failing in front of a customer.
For more team-building ideas for your restaurant, check out All For the One: 52 Ways to Build a Winning Team.
Use Mystery Applicants to Improve Restaurant Hiring
Hiring the best should be first and foremost on everyone’s mind for the good of your operation. So train your managers with the best techniques for recruiting and interviewing quality employees. Then, test their skills by hiring “Mystery Applicants” to help you see where the problems are.
You’re probably familiar with the idea of a “Mystery Shopper” program to evaluate customer service. A “Mystery Applicant” is basically the same idea. Setting up interviewees to evaluate the interviewing skills of other managers will help you identify the weak spots in your operation’s hiring chain. Shifty? Well, maybe… but keep in mind that you’re evaluating interviewers to identify where there’s a need for further training — not to get someone in trouble. And, by all means, tell your hirers that you may eventually send a Mystery Applicant their way just to see that they’ve retained and are using their training.
Begin by soliciting the help of people about the same age and personality type as your typical employee. Consider contacting a temporary agency — be sure to describe in detail what you’re trying to do! Some restaurateurs have even contacted talent agencies for Mystery Applicants — aspiring actors will obviously be great at pretending to be someone they’re not!
Excerpted from Turn the Tables on Turnover: 52 Ways to Find, Hire, and Keep the Best Hospitality Employees. Click here to read more from this innovative, results-oriented restaurant management book.
