High worker turnover is one of the main problems faced by the hospitality sector right now. The National Restaurant Association’s most recent State of the Restaurant Industry Report found that 78% of restaurant owners claimed they didn’t have enough workers to meet customer demand and 75% indicated they were more than 10% understaffed. In addition to lowering the restaurant’s average quality of service, a high staff turnover rate increases the expenses associated with finding, employing, and training new workers. Although there are many other factors contributing to this issue, including a high proportion of students employed in the sector and high levels of seasonality, and inappropriate Restaurant Management System. It is also true that many business owners in the sector might be doing more to retain talent.
Here are five suggestions to assist you keep your restaurant’s personnel motivated to work there.
Build Team Spirit
In a restaurant, cooperation is essential to maintain efficient services. When there is disunity within the team, blunders, bottlenecks, and blame-games can happen rapidly. The outcome? Customers become annoyed, the service worsens, and staff members depart for settings with a more laid-back, upbeat vibe. Focus on encouraging teamwork within your organization to stop this disastrous, though extremely often, chain of events. You may, for instance:
Set up a day each year for team-building events, which will assist staff members get to know one another better and foster good connections. Also, with a Restaurant Management System like LS Retail ERP, you can bring employees together on a common platform i.e., Teams.
Show that everyone works hard in your restaurant by having supervisors consistently do various tasks, such as cleaning tables and making beverages. A fair job distribution enhances workplace relationships, and a manager who has firsthand knowledge of what each duty entails will treat employees more fairly.
Celebrate achievements. When one of your workers celebrates a birthday, graduates, receives a promotion, or marks a work anniversary, plans a trip for the entire team, or at the least, has a cake and some refreshments delivered and set out for an hour to relax together. Celebrating occasions as a group demonstrates your concern for your employees, raises morale, and strengthens your bonds.
Reinforce Employees with Restaurant Management System
If you believe that not upgrading obsolete equipment would save you money, you are gravely incorrect. Upgrade to a unified Restaurant Management System as nothing is more annoying than the pressure to do a task quickly and to a high standard while using broken instruments. An antiquated Point of Sale System that gets stuck or creates tickets slowly may reduce table turns while also irritating customers who are in a rush. An ancient fryer that the kitchen crew can’t rely on may wreck the lunch rush. Make an investment in the newest technology like Restaurant Management System, and constantly check with your staff to see if any of the tools they are using, both in the back and in the front of the house, are insufficient or outdated. Remember this: Consider the technology you put in to help your personnel as an investment in enhancing customer service, such as a Mobile Point of Sale that swiftly accepts orders at the table.
Appreciate Your Employees for a Well-done Job
Studies have shown that people are more driven at work when they feel valued and appreciated. Teams with the highest levels of engagement saw 59% less turnover, according to a recent study from an organization that has earned the Great Place to Work certification. Positive reinforcement makes employees happier, more motivated, and more willing to put in extra effort. Many workers genuinely believe that having a sense of value at work is more essential than having money! There are several methods to express your appreciation to your staff:
Consistently express your appreciation to your team for a job well done, such as when a hectic shift has gone very well, when sales targets have been met, or when a worker has handled a challenging issue with professionalism. You must implement a Hospitality ERP Software to ease their work and bring out the best in each of them.
Constantly Train Them to Match Current Market Needs
A clear understanding of what is expected of them, and a feeling of purpose may be given to your personnel through thorough training. In addition to everything they require to effectively service your clients, be sure to instruct new employees on your company’s values, regulations, and policies. There should be no end to training. Even while the onboarding process is crucial, you shouldn’t let your workers’ education end there. Give your employees access to professional development opportunities; they’ll feel appreciated as part of the team, understand that you care about their development, and, as a bonus, they’ll bring new skills to your company. Use a Restaurant Management System like LS Retail Software Solution as it is easy to learn and your workers are most probably familiar with the interface.
Provide a Channel for Official Communication
Unclear communication and misunderstandings may swiftly undermine business relationships and spoil the environment in the company. Why is it that he always receives all the overtime? “Wait, I requested a vacation two weeks in advance and was denied; how come she was granted time off when she only requested it yesterday? By putting in place tools that make it possible for employees and management to communicate clearly and openly, you can reduce the likelihood of grudges and claims of preferential treatment. Our Unified Restaurant Management System, LS Central, has a staff management feature that may help you simplify staff scheduling and provide you with an Employee Portal for direct contact.
When your employees are satisfied, they work more, stay longer in the job, and take fewer sick days. Additionally, if your team enjoys coming to work for you, you’ll spend less on recruiting and training new hires and be able to provide consistently excellent service across all of your locations. If you need assistance identifying the appropriate technology to raise the standard of work in your restaurant company, get in touch with us. We are LS Central Diamond Partner and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Partner.