Retaining Your Foodservice Employees

Retaining Your Foodservice Employees is the second in a series ofthree books by Karen Eich Drummond on Foodservice EmployeeManagement. The other two titles are Staffing Your FoodserviceOperation and Disciplining Your Foodservice Employees. Employeeturnover represents a major concern for foodserviceoperators--particularly when you consider that half of allrestaurant employees leave their jobs within the first 30 days.With firings or resignations come costs: expenses for recruitingand training a new candidate as well as overtime costs incurredwhile the position is vacant. And beyond the immediate dollar loss, high employee turnover reduces employee morale and job performance, which can result in a significant loss of customers--andprofits. Retaining Your Foodservice Employees recognizes thatsuccessful foodservice operations can no longer treat employees asdisposable assets, especially in light of today's dwindlingpool of workers. This quick-reference guide shows you a wide rangeof strategies for increasing a staff member's employmentperiod and keeping turnover to a minimum. This innovative volumeidentifies what today's employees want out of their jobs.You'll get a clear understanding of workers' needs thatinclude
* interesting work
* a manager who respects, trusts, and cares about them
* clearly communicated performance goals
* good pay and benefits
* and comfortable working conditions.
You'll also find specific actions you can take to meet theseemployee needs such as listening to your employees, coaching themfor better performance, and using your supervisory skills toencourage positive, motivational teamwork. You'll learn how toinform and involve employees and use reward programs and careerladders to retain productive employees. Practical worksheets at theend of each chapter help you idenfity--andcorrect--specific areas where your business can improve. Actualon-the-job examples of improved communication and successful rewardprograms will help you generate ideas that you can apply to yourown program. As a complete guide to a critical industry-wideproblem, Retaining Your Foodservice Employees will be essentialreading for all commercial and institutional foodservice managersand owners.