The Perks of Staff Communication
The restaurant industry wants to improve employee satisfaction and retention. Turnover in the industry is famously rampant, and they’re experiencing a labor shortage right now because of COVID-19. All of this affects the productivity of those still employed. To solve this tangled web of problems, restaurants are looking at improving their staff communication.
Employees who like each other, work more effectively together, especially during a stressful rush. Better relationships also encourage workers to stick around, since it’s hard to find a job they enjoy where they work with friends.
Unfortunately, obstacles remain in place that make inter-staff communication more difficult. Fewer workers means having to spread them out across shifts. This combined with constant turnover makes it difficult for them to form relationships deep enough to bolster productivity. Hopefully as the pandemic winds down, restaurants can begin reform for long-term, effective staff communication.
Types of Staff Communication
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Management to Employee
Open dialogue between every level of the hierarchy shows that the business really cares about what its employees have to say, which improves retention. Check-in, not just about their job performance, but also to make sure their mental health is fine too. Show you care about them as people, not just workers, and they’ll try harder and stick around longer.
Regular staff meetings will also benefit everyone. There, employees can address any concerns they have and solve workplace problems as a team. Meanwhile, their individual evaluations should also incorporate questions about their interpersonal skills. Instead of only having a once-in-a-while performance review, schedule them more frequently and use it to highlight what they’re doing well, too. Taking a more holistic approach to workforce management sets the foundation for continued success moving forward.
Employee to Employee
Since it’s so important for the team to work together, set aside time specifically for them to get to know each other more deeply. Maybe you set up regular team lunches on a slow day, or some other team-building exercises to get their guards down without the pressure of management.
Create opportunities for them to get together off-premises, too, as this will relieve any extra pressure from being under the eyes of their employer. They’re more likely to get closer this way, which again relates to retention and overall productivity.
Technology Streamlines Staff Communication
Upgrading your restaurant systems to include the latest tech on the market will improve communication across the board. Make use of…
online logbooks to keep track of workforce management notes.
setting individual permissions, for example giving managers access to logbook notes but not servers or cooks.
scheduling software that easily keeps shifts together so they have the chance to get more familiar.
an all-in-one hub to view sales and performance data over time.
When you digitize training, they can get comfortable on the devices they’ll be using on the day-to-day too. Create staff profiles that have special dates like birthdays, as well as time-off allowances and permissions so you can control what they see on the devices. Save your personal information and bring your employees together with better restaurant technology.
