Best Practices
Does Your Restaurant Provide the Best Employee Benefit of All?
As a teenager and college student I had a host of summer and part time jobs. They included bailing hay, laying brick, offset printing, working on an auto assembly line, assembling marine ladders and being a server and bartender during my last few years in school.
One of the things that I still remember is which jobs and companies I really enjoyed working at and which ones I didn't. In the jobs I enjoyed the most, I recall getting along really well with my manager(s) and co-workers. The few that I didn't like were because there was at least one "jerk" co-worker or manager who for whatever reason was either annoying, a loudmouth or was somehow able to get under my skin.
Regardless of the type of work the job entailed, as a young worker, it seemed that the type of people I worked with and the degree to which we seemed to connect and respect each other had the most profound and even decisive impact on how well I enjoyed or disliked the experience.
It has been said that more than anything else, "nice" people want to work with other "nice" people. In other words, people who are considerate and who have a genuine desire to get along with other people, also have a strong yearning to be around similar people. They dislike being around boorish, rude, in your face personalities.
Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one.
– Author Unknown
With the shortage of quality workers hitting the acute stage in many markets, it might be worth declaring your restaurant a "jerk-free" zone. Get serious and adopt a set of values and behavior standards that make it virtually impossible for anyone to get away with being aggressive, demeaning or disrespectful to another employee at any time, without experiencing swift and serious consequences.
Don't take a chance on losing your good, "nice" employees because you’re allowing one or more "jerk" employees or managers to infect your working climate with their negative and destructive attitudes and actions.
Make your restaurant a haven or safe place for nice people and you're likely to see more nice people hanging around and wanting to work at your restaurant. And by the way "nice" people tend to take MUCH better care of your guests than "jerks".
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Webinar/Podcast
How to Be a Better Boss: Key Leadership Skills for Restaurant Owners & Managers
Whether you have the title of supervisor, manager or owner, this webinar will show you how to become more of a "leader" and build a workplace culture that is positive, productive and more rewarding for everyone on your team (including YOU).
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Online Course
How to Fire
Restaurant owners and managers often err on the side of hanging onto problem employees for way too long. This course will make it much easier to manage difficult personnel issues and help you make the best decision for everyone involved. How to Fire.
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Download
Employee Pre-Termination Checklist
Don't get caught with the potential liability of a wrongful termination case. Use this checklist to standardize the evaluation process for each pending termination to ensure thoroughness, fairness and consistency.
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Download
Employee Termination Checklist
Use the termination checklist to maintain a consistent procedure for all exiting employees. The form will ensure company property is accounted for and can be customized for your operations unique requ...
