The backbone of the restaurant industry is its workforce, so having the right group of people on your side can make it easier for your company to succeed. Finding and keeping the best employees who share your passion and are dedicated to their jobs, however, can be challenging, even for restaurant owners with years of experience.
Starting from scratch and hiring a new team can be intimidating for aspiring restaurant owners, especially in a crowded market. We’ve assembled the best advice from experts in the field to help you find, develop, and, most importantly, retain your Restaurant Staff.
Staffing Issues in Restaurants:
There are two significant problems affecting the hospitality industry when it comes to staffing:
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants are suffering from a staffing shortage. Restaurants in the UK are struggling with a staffing crisis, and restaurants in both countries are having trouble filling thousands of open positions.
This hospitality industry in the UK has long been plagued by high employee turnover rates. Across all industries, the average annual employee turnover rate is between 13 and 15%. However, a quick-service restaurant, for example, routinely experiences a Restaurant Staff turnover rate of 150% annually.
Despite the high rates of employee turnover in the restaurant business, you have a lot of control over keeping employees in your restaurant. Here are some methods for retaining workers.
Promote Mentoring:
Actually, don’t just encourage it—set it up and put it into practise! For each of the various positions in your restaurant, you can designate mentors. When a new hire joins, give them time to speak with and observe their mentor. As new employees learn the ropes, they frequently feel more at ease speaking with a peer and asking questions, which makes mentors effective.
Ask Your Employees:
Here’s an intriguing notion: improving employee retention in your restaurant or pizzeria may lie with your current staff. By asking them questions about their job satisfaction and their suggestions for how you can improve, you can gain access to that insight. Simple adjustments could result in significant increases in happiness, but how would you know without asking? Have a plan for conducting exit interviews in addition to surveying Kitchen Staff to determine the reasons behind employee departures so you can address the issues.
Employee Appreciation:
Retaining employees can be largely facilitated by recognition. Everyone wants to feel appreciated for a job well done and recognised for their efforts. While you can design a formal programme, you should also give employees who perform well more attention. Recognition may be given in private or in public.
Effective Onboarding:
You must get going from day one if employee retention is important to you. A solid onboarding strategy welcomes new employees and provides them with the information they need to do their jobs well.
Along with the company’s culture and values, this also includes job-related skills. Giving new hires instruction on what they must do, how to do it, and why will provide them with a strong foundation from which to grow. For instance, you can use call recordings to train new Hospitality Staff members on the best ways to take orders over the phone or handle irate clients. When workers are assured of their abilities and empowered to complete the work, it is much simpler to keep them on board.
