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Ensure Your Hires Stay For The Long-Term

Working in the hospitality industry, particularly in restaurants, could be demanding. From standing and walking for 8 to 12 hours a day to dealing with different types of guests, despite being an incredibly fulfilling profession being a restaurant worker can be tiring at times. And once restaurant employees get exhausted from work, they will become unmotivated and would not care enough to give your patrons their best service.

In order for your restaurant to have regular and satisfied patrons, you’ve got to ensure you are taking care of your employees first. Aim to keep your restaurant employees happy and motivated so they will stay with the company. Here are some practices to bring out the best in your team:

Keep communication open

Many employees leave when they are not well informed of what is going on, which is why having open communication is always the key to a healthy work relationship with your employees. Encourage your team to speak up and actually listen to them. A great way to do this is by having huddles. A short team huddle before service could help your restaurant team to be more communicative. It is one of the methods to keep your team updated, give feedback, and contribute suggestions. Try to brainstorm with them as well, they probably have helpful ideas since they are the ones working on the frontline.

However, it does not end to simply having conversations. You also have to be responsive; they need words followed by actions. They will get frustrated if they keep on asking for the same thing over and over. This will also make them feel that their voice does not matter. Although, I do understand that you cannot agree on everything they suggest. Still, it is always important to keep an open mind. Discuss it, debate it, and compromise.

Create a fun comfortable workplace

No one likes a cold, stagnant, and mechanical work environment. Make work exciting! Close the restaurant for a short while during the off-season and schedule team buildings and outings. It will also be thrilling to create small friendly competitions during service. Like for example, the server who sells the most number of today’s special, or the cook who plates a dish the fastest and cleanest wins a prize! This will definitely boost their confidence and will help build a positive work culture where employees can build a stronger foundation and long-lasting camaraderie.

Make sure to introduce yourself to them and ask their names. Call them by their first name, get to know them a little personally, but do not forget to respect their boundaries. Though it will be a nice gesture to remember their birthdays and celebrate them with them. Prepare a little gift or a cake for someone’s graduation, work anniversary, or promotion. Celebrate some holidays with them! Organize a Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s party. It would be nice to build a small bond with them to relieve some awkwardness at work.

Make them feel you are one of them. Occasionally help them perform their tasks. Small tasks like wiping tables, cutting lemons, polishing glasses, or even washing dishes when you have some time to spare. It would also be great if you are the one who is actually teaching them how things are done. Remember to be approachable and be their mentor. Also, do not forget to give out compliments and appreciate their work.

Provide proper working conditions

Always consider the comfort of your employees. Give them a space to rest during break time. Enhance their energy by gathering everyone for a nutritious hearty meal before a shift. No one can truly function and work properly if they’re hungry or have been given a bland unappetizing staff meal. Also, keeping them well-fed will reduce the number of thefts in inventory.

Make workstations well ventilated, especially the kitchen. Equip them with the right tools to work with. Invest in high-quality equipment and technology to help your employees work efficiently, this will also make them eager to produce excellent products. Educate your employees on how to use and take care of the equipment properly. And regularly check on them if there is something to replace or update. Do not forget to install a first aid kit to immediately take care of emergencies.

Rotate everyone’s schedule so everybody gets a chance to work on the most desirable shifts. Give them a decent number of days off from work. Let them have days where they could truly be themselves. Enjoying a day with their family and friends. Focus on their hobbies. It is a way for them to have a clear happy mind that is ready for new days of busy dinner shifts.

Continuous learning

We should never stop learning. It gives us a sense of purpose and makes us better in anything that we do. Furthermore, the best employees stay loyal with you if they see a prosperous future in your company.

From the moment a new employee comes into your restaurant, make them feel welcome by teaching them your company values and standards. Organize orientations and training for newcomers to ensure that they are ready to provide restaurant guests quality service in accordance with your restaurant standards. Give them continuous training programs to improve their skills. Plan out informative seminars and field tours, these will make them excited to learn something out of their usual workplace.

Know your employees individually. You could discover the potential in them. Maybe you’ll find someone in your front-of-house team who is a home baker and would be interested to try it out professionally sometime. It would also be exciting to offer cross-trainings among the different departments in your restaurant. This is something for employees who would like to discover new things and venture out of their roles. It is also a great opportunity for them to learn new expertise and level-up.

Your top employees would not want to stay stagnant. They will crave education and growth. And they will surely stay longer in a company where there is constant learning. They will aspire to climb up the career ladder and aim to make the company develop as well. So, invest in your staff and grow with them.

Pre-taste food offerings

After giving them some training, it would be a great idea for your kitchen team to showcase what they have learned and create some excellent dishes for the menu. You could do some every day specials or an enticing 9-course tasting menu! While your bartender could also experiment with new cocktails. And every time you decide to change something on the menu and serve a new dish or drink, have your whole restaurant team pre-taste everything. Let the cook or the bartender share its ingredients and explain how the dish or beverage was made. This will help your servers to remember and describe the new offerings easily. They could also efficiently make suggestions and even recommend their menu favorites to the guests.

This will also help your team to stimulate their palates and discover new flavors. It is another way to make your restaurant staff to feel involved. After the tasting, ask what they feel about the new offering. Test their knowledge by asking what kind of wine the new dish could be paired with. Also, keep in mind to always be open to comments and suggestions.

Proper pay and benefit

Compensation would highly impact an employee’s performance and motivation. And a responsible employer would think of their employees’ worth. Investing in your team is the best decision you could do as this will have a positive ripple effect on your business. Aside from overtime pay, holiday pay, paid sick leave, paid vacation days, and the traditional health plan benefits… consider giving them a higher competitive wage so they would not be tempted to look for a better-paying company. This will also serve as an attraction to the best chefs and maître d’s out there. These high-class employees that you could entice might have high skilled friends who might become interested in joining your team as well.

While it is a great gesture to acknowledge their sacrifices and great work by appraising them verbally, they would surely appreciate it more if you could give them a token of appreciation like a gift card from a local shop, a free massage day, or a free overnight stay in a hotel partner. These would be a great gift for small recognitions such as the “Employee of the Month”.

In conclusion, keeping your employees satisfied and happy is very crucial. How you treat them reflects on the service they give to your restaurant patrons. It is not only the good food, but the superb service guests come back to.

Apply these conditions and make the best employees stay in your company. Create a workplace that is like a community. Encourage your team to communicate. Make them feel heard and appreciated. Give them valuable training. Help them develop individually, professionally, and academically. Appropriately compensate them for the work they do. Securing their contentment in your company will benefit you, your team, and your patrons. 

Acing The Interview Online – Cutting Edge’s Ideas for Virtual Job Interviews

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we began to experience a “new normal” where we mostly do things online. Ordering dinner, shopping for new pair of pants, catching up with our family, and even getting a new job can now be done through the internet! Here are some helpful Ideas for Virtual Job Interviews.

Online job interviews are becoming more widely used these days. It is convenient since you do not have to travel to the company location, which also means there is no need to commute, or to spend anything on hotel accommodation (if you are trying to get a job in a different country). It is also easier to schedule and helps save time for both the applicant and interviewer.

Though, it could be a little nerve-wracking especially if you have the tendency to be awkward speaking in front of the camera or you’re not a very tech-savvy person. With that being said, I came up with these tips which hopefully, help you in preparation for your online job interview.

Research the company

Make sure you have knowledge about the company that you are applying for! Study their website. Get to know them by reading their “About Us” page. Do not forget to also check out their “Mission” and “Vision”. Look them up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. I assure you that they will ask why you are interested in joining their company and knowing their profile will definitely help you!

It would also be a great initiative to search on how they usually conduct their interviews. Google what their current employees think about the company and look for some advice on how they aced their interview and got the job!

Get to know your interviewer. Send an email to the company and ask the name of the person who will be conducting your interview. Try to look up their profile on LinkedIn. It will surely help you to know a little bit about their past experiences and who knows? You might find something that you both have in common with and maybe bring it up to the interview. It will make them feel acknowledged.  

Practice how to answer common interview questions

“Tell me something about yourself.”

“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

“Why should we hire you?”

You already know it! These are only three Ideas for Virtual Job Interviews for frequently asked questions that you must be ready to answer. Since they are very commonly asked, interviewers, will assume you are already confident to answer them. However, you do not want to sound like a robot while answering these questions, so make sure to not only memorize them but to know your answers by heart.

It would also help to take note of your key experiences that you would like to share during the interview. Also, have your CV and cover letter printed to guide you just in case the interviewer has questions about them.

Most importantly, get ready with some questions you want to ask your interviewer. This is not a one-way interview! It would be an impressive gesture to ask something about the position you are applying to, their company, and the interviewer. 

Set up a comfortable space

You are going to be interviewed for your dream job, of course, you would want to be in a comfortable location where you are free of distractions. Pick the best place in your house where the internet has a strong signal. It would also be helpful to let your housemates know you will be in an important interview and ask for their support by keeping off the Wi-Fi for at least an hour, or not using the vacuum cleaner and washing machine at that time.

Backround ideas for Virtual Job Interviews

Check your background. Virtual backgrounds could be tricky and they look complicated so do not bother using them or if you do try using the blurred background option. Your surroundings could show what you are as a person. And of course, you want to be perceived as a neat and professional person. That is why you have to ensure that things behind you (and everything else that can be seen in the camera) are tidy. Simple plain backgrounds like your wall would look great as well!

Make sure to consider your lighting. Sunlight is the best light! If possible, position yourself in front of the window. Ring light would be a great option if you do not have access to natural light. Another thing to consider is the camera angle, keep it within arms reach. Not too close, not too far. And keep it at your eye-level, you do not want it to look like you are looking down at them or vice versa.

Test your equipment

Make yourself more confident by ensuring all your gadgets are good to go! Aside from prepping yourself, give your devices a run-through as well. Ideally, it is good to use a computer but of course, any device would do.  Assure that your laptop, tablet, or phone are all properly working and fully charged before the interview. Set your notifications off so it will not bother you during the call.

Be sure to also check the sound quality of your equipment. Usually, built-in computer speakers and mics are not the best, and they could absorb the sound of your surroundings. It would be better to use quality earphones, headphones, earbuds, and/or an external microphone.

Furthermore, familiarize yourself with Zoom, Skype, or whichever platform you are going to use. If you do not have an account yet, sign up for an account at least a day before the interview and test it out beforehand with a friend.

Make a good first impression

Put on your best business attire and your best smile! Dress like it is a real face-to-face interview. Consider how it will look with your lighting and background. Never wear a shirt that is too bright in color or has a distracting design. Also, note to not wear anything that has the same color as your background. Groom yourself properly to leave an impression that you have high standards.

Be mindful of your body language and facial expressions. Sit upright, actively listen, and show that you are interested. It is also important to look at the camera while speaking, not at the screen. It may be a little awkward, but it is a way for the interviewer to feel that you are trying to connect with them. You may look at the screen when they are talking.

Test your voice. Call a friend and practice some interview questions to assess how you sound. See if you have to adjust your speaking volume, how fast you talk, or how long you pause when talking.

Be punctual

Next in our Ideas for Virtual Job Interviews, do not log in at the exact time of the interview! You do not want to make your interviewer wait for you. Prepare yourself well and log in at least 15 minutes before your call time. This will give you enough time to check if everything is working and in place. You will also have extra time to relax or do a few jumping jacks (not too much! You don’t want to be sweaty or catching up for your breath) for an energy boost!

Also, do not forget to get ready with a nice greeting to start the interview.

Keep a bottle of water next to you

Interviews could be quick, but some take up to over an hour long. Depending on how long your interview is going, your voice might get hoarse at some point. So make sure to keep bottled water next to you. Just be careful to not put it in a place where you could accidentally bump it and spill water on you or worse… your computer! Keep it tightly capped and place it away from your devices.

Keep in mind that drinking water is okay but never ever eat something while on interview. Eating while on call will leave an impression that you are not taking them seriously. Have a great meal beforehand so you could enjoy your conversation with the interviewer.

Rest before the interview day

Avoid cramming. Give yourself a proper time duration to study the company and prepare your answers well. Also, give yourself enough time to test out the equipment you are using. Start doing these a few days before your set interview date… It will help lessen your stress.

And one last thing… being deprived of sleep affects how you perform, so have a good night’s sleep on the night before the interview.

Well, there you go! I hope these Ideas for Virtual Job Interviews will help you prepare for your upcoming job opportunities! Wishing you best of luck in getting your dream job 😊

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