Lean on your people-skills and long-term vision here. Imagine what you want your restaurant to look and feel like, and customise questions that help you answer whether this person is potentially your new teammate.
Retaining your staff is one of the best long-term strategies for stripping off labor costs. Investing in your staff can save on the more significant costs of training new staff down the line – better to invest less in developing your star staff’s skills and recognizing them when they do great work.
The restaurant industry is notorious for its high turnover rates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t buck the trend with a great staff retention strategy. So the question becomes, once you have the staff, how do you make them stay?
Here are some ways to promote retention, decrease burn-out, and increase the happiness of your team.
No matter the restaurant culture you create, two things will make employees stick around: pay and scheduling.
Everyone needs to pay the bills, and everyone has a life beyond their work. Establish fair tipping policies and salary standards for all front- and back-of-house staff. Since the restaurant industry doesn’t follow traditional salary methods or a nine-to-five workweek, restaurant managers should be extra sensitive to creating fair schedules and payment.
For example, have you ever had plans to meet a friend but they cancelled last minute because they got called into work?
This situation is rampant in the service industry. Many states across the U.S. are beginning to pass “fair scheduling” acts that require managers to give their staff at least two weeks’ notice for their shifts and additional payment for coming into work last minute.
Depending on which state or province you’re in, you’ll also need to comply with different minimum wage rules. If the minimum wage of your state or province is higher than the federal wage, you will need to comply with your state’s minimum wages regulations.
In some states and provinces, minimum wages are lower for people working in the service industry because tips are considered part of wages; make sure tips actually meet the minimum obligations to ensure staff are living off of a fair minimum wage equivalent.
Restaurant employees appreciate consecutive days off, the occasional weekend, and some holidays.
A lack of proper work-life balance can result in negative physical and mental health issues. We know that 38% of employees have actually missed important life events like birthdays and anniversaries. The double burden of work and life responsibilities leads to dramatically reduced health and energy levels.
Please review the daily and weekly limit of hours an employee can work in your state or province. In some places the maximum number of hours an employee can work in a week is 48 hours, or eight hours in a day unless there is a written agreement. Regulations may also depend on age, with young workers (between the ages of 15-18) working within lower limits to ensure more daily and weekly rest.
The productivity of your restaurant depends on staff happiness – and for them to remain happy and well balanced, they’ll need adequate time off.
There are some additional approaches you can take to promote work-life balance, these include:
Did you know 40% of employees who receive poor job training leave their positions within the first year? Professional development should be a priority the moment you hire new staff. Training staff increases retention and cultivates commitment.
When you invest in your staff’s professional development, you’re showing them that you’re invested in their future. As a bonus, you get a more qualified, educated, and innovative worker upon their return.
Training length varies depending on the quality of training required to achieve your desired level of expertise. Think about what you need your team to know that is unique to your restaurant. Create a training programme that is fully tailored to your concept. This is your opportunity to standardise excellence and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Staffing may vary up to 20% depending on location, type of patrons, and menu. We recommend over-staffing at the very beginning, especially for your opening.
