As a restaurant owner, you are responsible for nurturing a positive relationship with your employees. After all, they are vital to your business, as, without them, chances are it wouldn't even exist. Or at least, it wouldn't exist for much longer.
With that in mind, their wellbeing and happiness are of high significance. It's only natural you would want to ensure restaurant staff remains motivated - even more so during stressful times! Not quite sure how to do that? Well, lucky enough, we've got the answers to that!
Want to ensure restaurant staff remains motivated during challenging times? Here's how to do so!
Motivation equals improved productivity. A productive environment allows for a better customer experience, as well. To keep your customers satisfied, however, the focus of your attention should, first, be on your employees. It's their satisfaction with the work that could ultimately doom your business, or perhaps, help it flourish. Let's make sure the second ends up being the case.
Help them improve
Your employees will only be as good as you invest in them, that is, in their knowledge. While they could certainly improve on their own - through trial and error - it's recommended that you, as an owner, dedicate a bit of money towards their education. Adequately trained staff is one that's bustling with confidence. They know that they are doing an excellent job because someone has taken the time to educate them. Furthermore, investing in your existing staff's education is beneficial for you, too. It will promote employee retention, thus helping you save time and resources on constantly training new people.
Incentivize them
It's up to you to decide on the right incentive for the quality work performed. Common ones include a cash bonus, gift cards, and days off.
Incentives can prove especially useful when your restaurant staff is experiencing higher-than-normal stress levels. Heightened stress, for instance, is a common occurrence during life-altering events such as a restaurant relocation.
When in the midst of it, it's essential to make the right decision regarding the timing of the move, as it helps keep your employee anxiety at bay. Being smart about the timing also lets you save money in the long run and thus, allows you to reward your crew better.
Give them a voice
Being the restaurant owner, you've got the ultimate say in everything concerning your business, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't seek input from your staff, from time to time. It's crucial to give them a voice and let them be heard. Chances are, they've got some excellent ideas to share. For instance, if a member of your staff has already worked in a restaurant, they might have valuable insight into what commercial kitchen deep cleaning services should be utilized. Alternatively, they can provide commercial kitchen cleaning tips and tricks and, therefore, keep the place spotless and sanitized - from top to bottom.
Employee independence is guaranteed to ensure restaurant staff remains motivated during both golden and trying times. You might even adjust their working hours or have them plan their schedules. It's up to you!
Provide free meals
If you've ever been hungry (haven't we all), you know that working on an empty stomach is an absolute nightmare. Now, put yourself into the shoes of your employees. How many times have they only been hungry and were, yet, forced to look at food constantly? Well, why torture them when you have the means and resources to help them out? From here on out, consider providing the kitchen crew with free meals. Considering restaurants are already wasting food as it is, this shouldn't cause revenue losses but will, undoubtedly, make your employees and their bellies happy.
Award loyalty
Owners dread losing the workforce. Although you can't keep all of your employees working for you forever, you can improve the retention rate by awarding them their loyalty. For instance, you could offer gifts/cash prizes for each year they stay with you. However, what they would really appreciate is a raise every once in a while - every six months, for example. Yes, this seems like something that could hurt your profits, but it's far from that. Retaining existing employees, despite awarding them, allows you to save more money than you would if you were to hire new people over and over again.
Keep them entertained
Despite them being at work, it's important to make their work feel not so much like work. From time to time, you should let your staff have fun. Keep them entertained during breaks by creating, for example, a lounge area in the restaurant. Have the TV set up there, maybe even a console that they can use to play games while on break. Anything is welcome as long as it helps them take their minds off things.
Team buildings are also something that employees might also find favorable. Unfortunately, as we are still dealing with Covid-19, large get-togethers might need to wait a bit.
The verdict
No restaurant would ever succeed if it weren't for its hard-working crew. They are the essence of the commercial kitchen business, and as such, doing everything in one's power to keep them satisfied and energized should always be a priority. Luckily, there isn't one, but rather, multiple things that help ensure restaurant staff remains motivated even during times of struggle. By putting to use just one of them, you will give your brand and your entire restaurant family a chance to grow. Grow into something magnificent and take your team along for the ride.
Last item, if you still think this is something you can do alone, you should take a moment are reconsider what truly drives any business forward... the people who work there and believe in the final product. No matter how good you are, without your staff, without their commitment and buy-in, you are a one person show with some good recipes and it will only take you so far. Take care of your people and you will find they will take care of you and your business.
If you find you need assistance with any deep kitchen cleaning or vent hood system cleaning, give Cornerstone Commercial Services a call today at 1-800-274-3905
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