Are your staff accountable? Best ways to have your staff step up to the plate
Accountability. The dreaded A word. You want your staff to be accountable to the business, but where to start? As with everything in the building, it starts with you.
Of course you have to role model accountability and show the behaviors that you want. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. In order for your staff to be accountable, you have to hold them accountable. This means that you start by setting standards and expectations. But you can’t stop there. Then, you have to get out there and see what’s going on. Make observations of your team – are they describing dishes to your customers in the way you would expect? Are the kitchen staff following recipes (during shift and during prep)? Is everyone meeting the basics – showing up on time, in a clean and correct uniform?
Then, after making these observations, you need to talk to them about it. Right away. Don’t wait until the end of the week or a review. When someone hits the floor and they are not suitably attired, pull them up. Make sure they understand that by being accountable for how they appear is a reflection on your business and that you expect higher!! And be consistent (there it is again. It is key!!)
In Think Tank: Fix the workplace, not the workers, Daniel Pink, expert on the workplace, change and millennials, points out something quite important about the youngest generations in the workforce (aka likely 95% of your staff) – having grown up with technology and social media, they are accustomed to constant, instant feedback and we have a nasty habit of forgetting that once they’re in the workplace and wait to give them feedback in an annual review, when it’s possibly the least effective.
When holding your team accountable, remember that it’s not just about correcting poor behavior, but reinforcing good behavior. Catch them doing it right. Coach in private and praise in public. Without exception. Praising in front of the other staff gives the employee the props they deserve, while coaching in private allows you to give feedback without embarrassing your team. Don’t have a favorite either, love everyone equally. Be sure to share the praise around so the team are felt to be part of a bigger picture.
Read more strategies in the Team Management and Staff chapters in my book How to Run a Successful Restaurant.
A Story from the Floor
The first waiting role I had when I moved to Melbourne was for a prominent wine merchant who owned a high-end restaurant in arguably the best casino complex in Australia. Lots of glam and glitz and a steady stream of high rollers.
It was in this restaurant I learnt about accountability
After “proving” myself I made sure that my intentions were clear as far as my development was concerned to the manager. In our 1 to 1 I expressed an interest in learning so he gave me the task of counting the beverage stock.
Note: The beverage stock consisted of a bar that stocked 17 bourbons, 16 single malt scotches; 4 blended scotches, tequilas, liqueurs and aperitifs. 14 white and red wines by glass, 2 speed bars, and coffee. There were 3 humidified cellars that stocked a total of 1200 odd wines, mixers and beers.
The first count took me 16 hours.
As my manager had been heavily involved in the count till this point he knew it very well so my mistakes were relatively obvious. The count was done on the quietest day of the week a Sunday and he reviewed it Monday.
He had me check almost the entire count twice due to mis-counts on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This is where I learnt that by being accountable for my role was paramount and that by doing things twice was a waste of time, money and man power.
Sometimes having the simplest of tasks like counting bottles can be the catalyst to having a staff member see the bigger picture.
