If it is important to retain customers, it is just as important to retain staff to limit turnover. While the health crisis has impacted the hotel and restaurant sector more than ever, TheFork looks back on the 5 steps necessary to optimize the management of your staff.
Netresto, RXclubk, Snapshift, Brigad, Skello : staff management applications in catering have multiplied in recent years, a sign of awareness among restaurateurs to improve the management of their staff and guarantee well-being of their employees. In 2021, the objective will be to limit costs while guaranteeing the employability of the sector.
Assess your real needs
The first step is to determine your real needs. These depend on a certain number of criteria, ranging from temporality to the operating needs of your establishment. You won’t have the same needs, whether in the kitchen or in the dining room during periods of slack or seasonal intensification or even during the end-of-year celebrations. Also, ask yourself about the different areas of expertise mobilized in your restaurant. The number of covers in your establishment will determine the number of servers, as will the staff to be mobilized in the kitchen.
Recruit yes, prepare for recruitment, better
Recruiting can sometimes turn out to be a real obstacle course. In the dining room, as in the kitchen, how to find the ideal profile that will quickly adapt to your organization? Going through a website, or calling on a recruitment professional, several options are available to you. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is essential to take the time to draw up a detailed job description to present during the interviews that you will do. This is not only reassuring for your interlocutor and it helps to avoid misunderstandings throughout the contract period. Moreover, why not make your oldest employees more responsible by involving them in the development of job descriptions?
The keys to trust: communicate, exchange, listen
It is not a myth, communication is the pillar of good management. Being present within the organization, showing your staff that you are listening to them and that you are always available to show them what to do and how are the guarantees of mutual trust. Benevolence must be in order: congratulations are given in public, reprimands in private, in the fairest way possible. It is important not to give in to favoritism based on seniority for the same position. Considering its employees as fairly as possible also means granting bonuses to the most deserving.
Managing the unexpected: extras to the rescue
In the event of the unexpected, the use of extras remains the easiest solution to access. However, it is sometimes difficult to find the rare pearl and it can be laborious to train him/her on the job. To avoid unpleasant surprises and bounce back quickly in the face of unforeseen events, building a list of reliable, trained and available extras is still the best solution. Better yet, we advise you to make this list of extras according to each person’s area of expertise: bar, service, kitchen, management…
Planning and working hours: the manager’s hobbyhorse
In catering, anticipation is essential. Keeping a schedule and respecting working hours are essential. The staff must have real flexibility in terms of their hours. For this, the role of the manager is to inform him as far in advance as possible of the schedules. Privatization, increased attendance during holiday periods, exceptional requests, everyone must be able to cover these unforeseen events. But this availability should not be without compensation: it is essential to set rest schedules and an equitable rotation between everyone, as well as to take into account the obligations incumbent on your employees (children, dependent parents, illness, etc.). Also, to ensure their well-being, provide a relaxation area or, if necessary, rest equipment (mats, cushions) for those who live far away and would not have time to go home to rest during their break. The schedule must be up to date, maintained and accessible to all. The ideal is to make a fixed schedule for two weeks with a visibility of one month and thus allow everyone to anticipate their working hours.
These few steps will greatly facilitate the management of your staff and allow you to cover any unforeseen events.