Restaurant and Food Service Blog

Downsizing, brightsizing, layoffs…whatever you choose to call it, it’s those that are left within the company after these cuts that seem to really suffer from a decline in morale. Often, this comes from the simple fact that it’s hard not to think that the other shoe will soon drop and he or she will also be let go. For the company, this is dangerous because a decline in morale could significantly hurt productivity as well as customer satisfaction. So, it’s very important to invest in the employees that have been retained.

Oftentimes, and especially these days, cuts are made because of budget restrictions, so it’s not expected that a significant amount of money should be spent on such an effort. But as you’ll see, investing a little in your employees goes a long way to building trust in those individuals and thereby improving performance.

Here are a few simple things that you can do to invest in your employees and boost morale:

• Spend time in praise: One of the best things you can do for an employee is to recognize his or her contributions to the team and the company. The only word of caution is to make sure you understand whether each individual is more comfortable with public or private praise. Depending on personality, you could really punish a person by praising them in public. Knowing your employees better in this way is often achieved with personality tests.
• Reward with time off: Add a day or two to existing paid-time-off (PTO) in order to recognize an employee’s hard work and dedication. Employees value additional time with friends and families, so it will be greatly appreciated and will likely prove to have a good ROI for you.
• Place importance on health: Many studies have shown just how big an impact physical health and exercise has on productivity and overall morale in the workplace. In fact, a study by the University of Bristol in 2005 revealed that employees who exercised for a minimum of 30 minutes during lunch were more productive than those who didn’t. This meant they were better able to meet deadlines, focus on their work, and manage time.¹  Employees have gone on to report that they “just felt better” after a workout.
• Invest in their futures: Training can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Get creative and find ways to leverage the talents and skills within your own employee base for a little cross-training. You can also provide a fun-filled ½ day or full day of teambuilding activities just by exploring these types of activities using a Google search.

The “impending war for talent” has been a crisis in the making for the past decade as managers in virtually every field and industry prepared for the supposed mass exodus of the baby boomers. Not even a year ago, there were articles and blogs that littered the Internet advising organizations on how to win the war for limited talent when all those boomers left the marketplace.

Who would have guessed that it wouldn’t be the boomers voluntary leave for retirement that had us all “a buzz” in the year on the brink of that expected mass exodus? Instead, here we sit…in an unforeseeable situation in which the economy has cut a large number of our employees for us instead of allowing the natural aging process to take a smaller number of qualified workers out of circulation.

Now, instead of organizations fighting for a very select few of highly skilled and qualified workers once all the boomers have made their exit, there are hundreds of thousands of highly skilled and qualified workers out there to choose from. The question I am asked all the time is, “How do I know I am making the right choice with my hiring decision?”

While recruiting is a process that takes time and very careful consideration of each and every case, there are some things I advise you keep in mind, including the following:

• Keep an eye on what you have: First and foremost, keep a peeled eye on the talent you are trying to retain. Consider that organizations that have lost their talent due to cuts are going to be developing attractive ways to lure your employees away. Focus first on tactics to keep those individuals before you begin filling new seats.
• Start looking now: Even if your organization is still experiencing hiring freezes, the time to look is now. If you really have your eye on a particular candidate, you can inform them that the company is not hiring at this moment, but you are interested in his/her credentials and will contact him/her as soon as the hiring freeze is lifted. This isn’t the promise of a position, but it will hopefully keep that candidate interested in your organization.
• Keep your focus trained: When the hiring freeze is lifted, you seriously must hire only for talent management and not simply to fill emptied positions. You will achieve a lot more with two highly qualified and passionate individuals than four who require hand-holding and micromanagement.
• Use a professional: It may be shameless self-promotion, but the truth is, using a professional recruiter to help you fill positions will increase the likelihood that each hire is a successful hire. And, in many cases, recruiters will offer a ‘satisfaction guarantee’ if a candidate does not work out…a safety net not available when hiring on your own.

Have you noticed that the average customer to visit your restaurant has become a bit more demanding? It is likely that you, like many other operators are facing the exact same issue. Basically, the general public is wary of the economy and what it means for the future. Thus, discretionary spending has been replaced by saving. So, when the unique opportunity presents itself to enjoy a meal outside the home, patrons want their experience to be well-worth the money they are deciding to spend.

What this equates to are demands that may at times seem a little outrageous. And, with this increase in demands, it can often really affect an employee’s morale as they are “ridden” harder for increased customer satisfaction. Managers have to be really careful in these situations to protect the interests of clientele and employees. You can accomplish both by first focusing on the needs of the employee. His or her improved outlook on work will increase the likelihood of continued focus on customer satisfaction, which in turn, keeps the customers coming back.

Here are a couple of suggestions on how this is achieved:

• Give praise: One of the best things you can do for an employee is to recognize his or her contributions to the team.
• Build a system of recognition: Don’t rely only on management’s ability to recognize and reward. Build a system whereby your patrons have the opportunity to recognize an employee for a job well-done. This is often accomplished with feedback cards.
• Provide reward: Whether it’s an extra shift off, a free meal on the house, or an employee-of-the-month picture on the wall, the reward for a job well done is appreciated and remembered.
• Offer “vent” sessions: When dealing with difficult customers, a lot of individuals find that the greatest release of the associated pressure is to ‘vent’ to others about what happened. Give your employees a place where they can do this in a facilitated environment. They can then let out that frustration and also identify with others on the team who have experienced similar situations—building team unity.

It is all too clear that the restaurant industry is a far cry from truly creating a level playing field for the top executives. Sure there are companies that certainly outperform such as YUM! Brands and Pepsico.  These companies not only talk the talk, but they definitely walk the walk as far as diverse executive talent.But the rest of the industry can be seen as a true good old boys club. With so many of the restaurant workforce being made up of minorities, it is absolutely a disgrace that the executive suite does not reflect a broader spectrum.  Not it can be argued that diversity is nice and all, but there certainly are no definable metrics that can prove that it will really improve the bottom line. Regardless of what it may in fact bring to the bottom line, the truth is that diversity is really a good thing for all companies. This not some feel good message. This is about giving those individuals an opportunity to shine. No special favors or recommendations. But a real chance to prove that regardless of color, race, religion or sex, each and everyone of us has something to offer and bring to the table.This uniqueness and difference is what can make every company better. As an Asian, I bring a different set of experiences from a Hispanic or African-American.  Each and every one of us can learn to respect and honor each other. That is turn will help our company become a better and more competitive brand.