Employee Engagement and You

It’s no surprise to anyone who has worked in management that most of your employees are not doing the best jobs they could on a given day. In fact, only about one in five employees work hard every single day on the job. For many, simply maintaining the status quo of their current position is enough.  In almost all other sectors of business, this is a huge problem and many companies dedicate a substantial amount of time and resources into solving employee engagement issues. The restaurant industry differs, though, because it is plagued by a high turnover rate that other industries have the luxury of avoiding. That said, you still face the same problem as those companies. How do you get your team on the same page and insure that each of your employees contributes to the overall success of your staff and business?

Your Employees Are The Front Line In Success In Your Business

Believe it or not, the successful tool in addressing engagement issues can be solved through conversation, but most managers don’t talk to their staff frequently enough, or worse, don’t even know how to talk to them or what to talk to them about.  They often have trouble figuring out what drives a given employee, or what they need to have that employee be fully engaged and productive each and every day.

What can you do? Firstly, focus on feedback. Give praise when it is due, and you’ll find that your employees will be more motivated. Most research indicates that, particularly in the restaurant industry, few employees feel appreciated for the job that they do. Praise is a scarce commodity in workplace, so make sure to let them know when they come through for you. Likewise, ask them their opinions on given issues. Often times, listening to, and incorporating adequate ideas from your staff will do wonders for the work environment. They will feel like they belong to something they can actively contribute to and shape, rather than feel indebted to a particular mold.

Engage Them and Work With Them, and Your Business Will Grow

Likewise, focus on objectives. Most performance issues arise of a sensed dissonance between what a manager desires and what the employee can fulfill.  To avoid this issue, you should set out to clearly define any expectations, have a firm gameplan for how to accomplish it. As stated previously, listen to feedback about your goals for the business, and you’ll likely find your employees considerably more productive and engaged in their work.

Finally, make it true that they’re building a resume by working with and for you. Let them know that each and everything they do isn’t just a job, but is active career development. Make it feel like they have something to gain, that they’re appreciated, and listened to, and unsurprisingly, your employees will be putting more and more into their workplace.