Good employees are hard to find and even harder to retain if you don’t foster a motivating work environment. The food service industry is tough, with long hours, lots of time on your feet, and often difficult customers. Find ways to motivate your team to keep them happy, healthy, and ready to give their all when providing a service to your customers. You’ll enjoy a more productive team and see better revenue when you have the best staff in the business. To help you find this level of motivation, we’ve compiled a list of great ideas to keep things positive in your workplace.
Give Recognition
Employees love recognition. Giving credit where credit is due is one of the most critical factors in keeping employees happy. Brag on your staff to let them know how well they are doing. Make sure your team knows that they are the heart of the business with occasional compliments and encouraging words. Don’t be afraid to call out a job well done.
Offer Incentives and Rewards
Incentives and rewards motivate workers to try harder to achieve a goal. Many workplaces do some variation of employee of the month awards. Take it a step further and have some fun with it. Offer a prize to the employee who breaks the fewest dishes this month. Reward the server who sells the most desserts. Think outside the box and make it competitive and fun while focusing on providing the best service to your customers.
Maintain Positive and Clear Communication
Communication is crucial in every type of relationship, whether professional or personal. Employees need a manager who clearly expresses their thoughts and ideas and makes it clear how a job should be performed. Keep the communication positive, ensuring that your team feels heard and valued.
Plan Group Activities
Get your staff together outside of working hours for camaraderie and team-building exercises. Help the members of your team get to know each other on a personal level so that they can better work together professionally. Have a game night, a nature outing, or some other event where staff can take some time outside of the workplace to relax and have fun with each other.
Bring in Guest Speakers
Sometimes people just need to hear some motivating words from someone who knows how to reach them on a deeper level. Try a keynote speaker from a company to talk to your team. Professional speakers have a great way of communicating with employees in a way that makes them interested and engaged, leaving them with thoughts and quotes to make life more meaningful at work.
Foster Work-Life Balance
Food service employees get burnt out quickly. These workers are constantly dealing with the public and spending a lot of time on their feet and scurrying around. It’s hard to keep your restaurant fully staffed without occasionally asking for extra hours from your staff, but be mindful when scheduling overtime. Whenever possible, ensure your employees are getting enough time outside of the workplace to rest, refresh, and reset.
