Posts Tagged ‘Hotel Staff’

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Making the most of your seasonal staff

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

This week the Christmas party season gets well under way.  Even if you are not as busy as in previous years the chances are you’ll be taking on some extra staff.  But are they an asset or a liability?  If all you do is give them an order pad and tell them to get on with it, they could be doing more harm than good to your Christmas profits.

Teamwork is key. Introduce new staff to the whole team, defining everyone’s areas of responsibility to ensure no gaps and no duplication of effort.  Avoid the frictions that occur when someone hasn’t pulled their weight or others are seen to ‘interfere’ with your way of doing things.

Everyone needs to know what’s expected of them from day one. Clarify basic standards of dress, staff behaviour, time keeping, break allowance, staff meals, security, food safety, health and safety.  Don’t leave them floundering or too scared to ask for help. Establish a clear line of reporting, and who to go to for help and guidance when needed – ensuring, of course, that this person will be patient and supportive when asked.

First impressions count. Specify your establishment’s standards for welcoming and greeting customers, including the booking procedures if this is part of their role.

What is their role in up-selling, and what are the products you want them to promote, including any future events?  If your core team are incentivised, make sure you include seasonal staff in the scheme. People can’t sell something they don’t know exists. Ensure a thorough product knowledge – what does your establishment offer – times of service, complementary products, etc.  Let your staff taste the dishes, explain what accompanies each dish and what it should look like, what prices include and what’s extra (especially with fixed menus or party packages).

Run through the payment procedures, including any security procedures or checks needed. Establish protocol in dealing with difficult situations, customer complaints, and awkward customers.  Define the line between handling themselves and when to seek intervention from a manager or more experienced staff member.

Avoid being let down at the last minute – Provide out of hours contact numbers and establish procedures for sickness reporting.

Maintain your reputation as a good employer. Treat seasonal staff well, and they will be willing to come back next time you need an extra hand. Give them something to look forward to and keep them interested for the whole season.  Involve them in any after work social activities and maybe some incentive awarded at the end of the season.

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Nip it in the bud ~ Dealing with poor performance ~ Part 1

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Last week I listened to a feature on the radio talking about driving offences and whether or not people should lose their licences even if they are dependent on their car for their job. In the UK we have a points system that states that when you reach 12 points on your licence you should be banned from driving until the offences have lapsed.

Why have the system if some magistrates then let people off the hook and allow them to continue to drive and re offend. If you’ve been caught driving on the motorway using your mobile phone why is someone who drives for a living any less likely to be a risk to others than someone who doesn’t? To be caught a second or third time should come as no surprise to lose your licence and maybe your job. So soapbox rant over…

But is this any different from the way you treat people who break the rules at work?

I remember in my early days of management someone relating discipline to a red hot poker. If you touch a red hot poker you know you will get burnt. The harder you touch it the more it will burn. The poker does not discriminate; anyone who touches it gets burnt. It burns straight away so conditions you not to keep touching it.

Discipline should be no different.

Rules may be set by legislation, the business, the individual site or department or there may be the unwritten ‘rules’, standards or guidelines set by the individual team or line manager. Whoever has set the ‘rules’ needs to ensure they are not only communicated, but check they are measurable and people understand why they are important. Any rules or standards laid down that you have difficulty explaining begs the question are they necessary? (OK, there may be some legislation we find difficult to explain at times, but any internal rules with no value should be reviewed and updated or binned).

Failure to do anything about it sends the message to everyone else that it’s OK to break the rule. We sometimes misguidedly believe that it’s a one off or the problem will go away; but before you know it the problem has escalated – either the person in question continues to disregard the rule or standard, or it becomes custom and practice for everyone to follow suit.

So nip it in the bud and address it straight away. This does not mean giving everyone a lecture in a group meeting – all this does it makes the ‘non offenders’ irritated that they are all being ‘accused’, whilst those to whom you are aiming your comments either just laugh it off, or it goes by without them realising you are referring to them.

Of course every business should have its own disciplinary process, and I am not going to go into that here. But irrespective of the seriousness of the problem – whether it’s someone being late, not greeting a customer in the way you’d expect, breaking health and safety rules, failure to carry out part of their job, arguing with another member of staff, or doing something in a haphazard way with a poor result – your goal is to resolve the issue and improve performance in future. There are three phases to dealing with poor performance and I’ll be covering these over the next three days.

Managing poor performance is key to effective leadership, and the skills needed will be covered in detail in my forthcoming online leadership coaching programme Leading for Peak Performance which is being launched in late September.

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Regular update meetings

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Do your hotel staff know the score? ~ Part 3

Regular meetings – weekly, fortnightly or monthly give an opportunity to:

  • Share ideas
  • Give and get updates on what’s happening across departments, to encourage teamwork
  • How the business is performing at operational level and any changes necessary or areas of focus
  • Changes happening in the business and how these might affect staff (before they happened and the rumours take over)
  • Give regular on going training or development

These type of meetings need to be two-way, (not the type of’ town hall’ address) and an opportunity for your team to have their say and put forward their ideas and suggestions. You may be pleasantly surprised at how resourceful they can be in finding solutions to problems. Often they add a fresh perspective.

Tomorrow we’ll cover one to one meetings.

Communication was one of the topics covered in “How to Give Your Hotel a Competitive Edge” series of interviews.

 

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Why do staff quit your hotel?

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Yesterday I was at the local hoteliers’ association meeting where one of the topics of conversation was finding good quality staff, in particular chefs. We already know that there is a lack of new talent entering the industry so it’s important that we hang on to our best people. The hospitality industry has always had one of the highest labour turnover rates in all sectors of the economy but there are a few things that we can do to minimise staff turnover.

First of all unless we understand why staff leaving it will be difficult to reverse the trend. In an ideal world some kind of confidential exit interview should be conducted and wherever possible this is best done by someone other than a line manager. The reason for this is that if it’s poor management or leadership that has prompted the move, it’s unlikely that you’re going to learn the truth if the line manager is asking the question! The saying goes people don’t quit jobs they quit bosses.

But even if your staff structure doesn’t allow for this it is important to find out much as possible about people’s motives for leaving.

If the reason they give is more money look to see how your rates compare with the competition. But also look at what benefits your staff are getting that they may not be getting elsewhere and ensure people are aware of everything that makes up their package.

If they’re moving for career progression, is this something that you could a given them but just didn’t make them aware of the opportunities? What can you do in future to ensure that all your team get the recognition and development they need for their career progression? You won’t be able to accommodate everyone’s aspirations particularly if you’re a small hotel, but having some kind of succession plan in place does give people something to work towards. However, don’t make promises that you are unable to keep.

And if you find out you are the problem and the reason that people leave, reflect on what you need to do to change. Find out what are the things that people find difficult or frustrating about working for you or with you, and then figure out a way to change your approach.

My new online leadership coaching programme could be a starting point to getting the help you need and is being launched in September.

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Don’t waste your recruitment effort & costs by poor induction

Friday, July 30th, 2010

How soon after joining do your hotel staff have to face guests? The first few weeks in any job will determine whether a person will want to stay with you.

People like (and need) to know what’s expected of them. So when people start with you a thorough induction is absolutely key, and a good induction will help make effective & loyal staff.

So within that induction, what are the types of things they need to know?

They certainly do need to know all of the standards around their job. But there are other things as well. Yes, they need to know what their job is, yes, they need to know about their holiday entitlement, about their pay, where they can leave their belongings, health, safety and hygiene procedures; all of those things are very important. But look a little bit beyond that.

Think about your own values and philosophy. What is the type of experience you want your guest to have when they stay with you? And communicate that to your staff.

A part of the induction might be “This is the way we do things around here….”. And sometimes that might come better from a fellow employee, a sort of buddy, rather than necessarily always coming from you. However if you are going to do that, make sure that the person they are buddied up with knows the standards, knows the expectations, and knows what you want from them.

Where does their job fit into the bigger picture? Where does their role fit in with everybody else’s? What does everybody else do? What are all the other services and facilities that you provide? Staff can’t upsell if they don’t know what you offer.

So if, for example, they are on reception they need to know what a bedroom looks like, what is the distinction between a superior room and a standard room. They need to know about the menu offer. Equally if they are in the kitchen let them know what goes on front of house as well. Give them an opportunity to go into the restaurant, to see a room, and if you have other leisure facilities, let all your staff get a feel for them and just experience them. Okay, they are not all going to be selling these things all of the time, but they need to have an idea of the bigger picture and what your guests will be experiencing.

Good induction will help make effective & loyal staff.

So for the next person you take on, don’t waste your recruitment effort & costs by poor induction.  Increase the likelihood that they will want to stay, and become an effective and loyal employee, by giving them a thorough induction.

Foundations in Leadership is a new approach to hospitality leadership development. Do you ever feel you aren’t getting everything you want from your team?  Instead would you love to tap into their true potential so you can focus on the bigger picture? Find out more about the programme here and take advantage of the fast action bonuses.

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Principles of effective feedback

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Here is the 4th and final post on How to Give Contructive Feedback, summarising the key principles.

Download the full article and other related free articles from my downloads page.

Timing and planning

  • Feed back as soon after the event as you can, but ensuring privacy if appropriate (praise in public, reprimand in private).
  • When giving feedback based on a longer period e.g. in an appraisal situation, the more recent the example, the more impact it will have.
  • Ensure the timing is appropriate for the individual to take on it board (e.g. avoid times when they are under tight time pressures, or about to start something for which they need total focus).
  • What condition are you in to give feedback right now – do any of the above apply to you, or are you angry about the way they have handled something and need time to cool off.
  • Consider your motives before giving feedback i.e. what do you want the end result to be?
  • Be prepared for their reaction, and how you will respond.

Standard

  • These should be communicated in advance and only referred to as a reminder if necessary.
  • If you are not certain the person is aware of the standard, check their understanding of the expected standard before diving in with your feedback. This might highlight a need for clarification, reinforcement or training.
  • If people are unaware of the standard, draw a line in the sand, but establish this as the standard moving forward.

Action

  • Ask questions at each stage rather than telling.  Most people will be able to identify for themselves how things have gone, especially if they know the standards in advance.
  • Give feedback on successes as well as where things can be improved.
  • Be prepared to build the confidence of the shrinking violet, who finds it hard to accept any praise.  They may find it hard to see good in anything they do, and only see their mistakes or what went badly.  Ask ‘What were you pleased with, or what went well, or better than last time’?
  • Focus on behaviour, not personality.
  • How likely is it that the person can do anything about it?
  • Could you be the source of the problem, not them?
  • Take ownership – don’t rely on hearsay.  People will be far more receptive to what you have observed directly rather than subjective opinions from others.
  • If necessary draw comparisons between what people say and what they actually do.
  • Use pre determined standards or goals as a yardstick.

Impact

  • Reinforce how positive actions have helped performance.
  • Acknowledge people for what they are not just their accomplishments.
  • Explain or ask them which actions are less effective than they might be and why.
  • Link the outcomes to something they care about (e.g. the amount of effort required on their part, or how others perceive them), rather than simply what is important to you.
  • Check they understand the implications – if they don’t know how their actions affect the business or the task they are unlikely to take on board any changes needed.

Development

  • When things have gone well you may not be looking for improvements from the individual, but how can their good performance be emulated e.g. can they show others how they do it?
  • Ask them to suggest a better, or alternative solution or methods.
  • Focus on what is missing, rather than what is wrong – this helps performance next time.
  • Ensure the outcome you want is clear.
  • Check their understanding of what to do in future – if they have come up with the solution check the method, time scales, etc.

Your approach

  • Be direct, don’t sugar coat the message.
  • Be sincere.
  • Give praise where it is due.
  • When it’s not, make it clear that you need to see improvements or changes.
  • Avoid being side tracked by any of the feedback blockers.
  • Preserve the other person’s self esteem.
  • Deliver bad news in a non-critical way.
  • Concentrate on your pitch and tone so that valuable information is not seen as a complaint, criticism, whinge or nag.

Given in a constructive way feedback can not only improve performance but can raise morale, build rapport and promote initiative.  It also opens the door for your team to provide you with some feedback too.

Caroline Cooper

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If they can argue with it – it’s poor feedback

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Here is the third in my series on giving constructive feedback

Feedback Blockers

If people perceive themselves to be under attack they will make attempts to protect themselves. Here are some of the reactions you may need to be prepared for:

Defensiveness
“I’m not the only one who does that”

Resistance   
 “There’s no way I can change – why should I?”

Denial   
 “I’m not to blame for that”

Justification   
 “I can explain”

Attack   
“What about them, they’re not perfect”

Inward Focus  
“Is this what people have been thinking about me?  And all the time I thought they liked me”

Refusing to Listen   
“Here we go again”

Excuses  
“That wasn’t my fault – I was told the wrong things”

Distrust of the Person/Process  
“It’s obvious – someone’s got an axe to grind”

Masking True Feelings    
“I’ll rise above this – I don’t care”

Pre-prepared Arguments   
“I knew they were going to bring that up.  Well, let me tell you my side …”

Concentrating on the person behind the feedback   
 “I bet I know who said that”

Own the feedback – and be firm about why they need to be aware (i.e. the impact it has) and that you expect change.

‘If they can argue with it – it’s poor feedback’

To read the full article now, plus gain access to other free related articles go to my downloads page.

Caroline Cooper

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How to give constructive feedback

Monday, May 17th, 2010

One way to overcome some of the barriers of giving feedback is to apply the S A I D model

Standard

When giving feedback, particularly on poor performance, it’s useful to know what you are benchmarking this against. If people don’t know what is expected of them, it is very easy to get defensive.  So establish the standards you expect and communicate these.  You may not always need to refer to these during the feedback process, but be mindful of these as you give the feedback.

Action

What is the action they performed?  Emphasis is on their actions, not on your interpretation of it.  So you are feeding back what you observed or heard, not on their intentions, their personality or their character.  Limit the number of actions you comment on a level they can handle – far better to give feedback on one key action that they can digest and build on to make a difference, than ten things which leaves the message diluted (and invariably leaves them demotivated).  Because this is based on fact it is less likely to be challenged. Link back to the standard if necessary to highlight where people have exceeded or fallen short.

Impact

What impact did their actions have on the result?  This can include positive or negative impact on the end result, or on the process itself e.g. the amount of effort needed on their part to achieve the result, or the impact on others, etc.  When giving praise it is so easy to say to someone ‘that was really good, well done’ without saying why it was good or what made the difference this time compared with previous occasions.

Development

How can they build on this for the future?  Remember, the purpose of feedback is to enhance performance and motivate.  So this last stage is important to determine what happens next e.g. develop to make it even better next time around, to correct a mistake or to perfect a process.  Put the emphasis on what is missing rather than what is wrong – building on strengths or positives is far more likely to engender enthusiasm. Using open questions, ask the individual how they think things can be developed or built upon.  This will help to gain buy in and you may be surprised by the options they suggest.

Here are the three key situations for giving feedback within the workplace.

1.     When all is going well – feedback and praise.
2.     Mixed performance – feedback mixed with positive and corrective action.
3.     When all is not well – feedback to address under-performance.

This model works equally well in all three.

Some of you may recall something referred to as ‘The Praise Sandwich.’  The problems with the praise sandwich are that, in fact, it is a bad news sandwich, and usually the ‘filling’  (i.e. the bad news) is so thin and the ‘bread’ or praise element so thick and fluffy, that the key message gets completely lost.  The result the person remembers the first and last part of the discussion – the praise – and not the part you want to change.  The result is that nothing changes.  Using the SAID model people know exactly what the issue is.  But by understanding the impact it has had, and having been given as opportunity to put forward their own ideas to avoid it in future, they will still come out of it with some dignity, and you are far more likely to see something change for the better.

To read the full article now, plus gain access to other free related articles go to my downloads page.

Caroline Cooper

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Feedback ~ The Breakfast of Champions

Friday, May 14th, 2010

The giving and receiving of feedback is probably one of the most vital skills in management.  According to Ken Blanchard

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions”

Why Give Feedback

People will not become great at their jobs unless they know where they are doing well, so they can keep on doing these things, and where they need to change to get a better result.  For many employees it is a case of ‘No new is good news’, as they only get to hear if things go wrong.  Have you ever worked in that type of environment?  Feedback is not only key for improving and perfecting performance, but – done in a constructive way – is highly motivational.

But how many of us put off giving feedback or get frustrated that when we do give it, it has little impact?

Why is it that we shy away from both giving it and receiving it?

There are a number of reasons why managers fear giving feedback.  ‘Who am I to judge?’ ‘It won’t be valued’, ‘It will give them a chance to have a go at me.’  ‘They must realise that they are doing it wrong / right’ ‘When I’ve given feedback before, it has made no difference; I feel like I am wasting my breath.’

One of the key reasons we shy away from it is the fear that it won’t be accepted, that we will be challenged on it and put in an awkward situation.   Feedback can be badly received when it’s:

  • Too generalised – not specific enough for effective action to be taken
  • Too personal – based on the person, not the issue(s)
  • Based on something which is not within their power to do anything about
  • Heavily critical – without suggestions for improvement
  • Focused exclusively on the past – recent changes/improvements not taken into account
  • Based on hearsay and gossip – not enough facts to support the arguments
  • An excuse to seek blame – rather than seeking solutions

We’ve probably also all been on the other side of the feedback and know that many people are equally uneasy about receiving it.  So before thinking about how to give feedback it is also worth thinking about it from the recipient’s viewpoint.  Why are we so reluctant to ask for feedback?  Is this fear of the unknown, or that we don’t want to be told what we already know? Does it make us feel exposed, vulnerable or even feel a fool?  Or maybe it is lack of respect for the person giving the feedback – what do they know, who are they to judge?   If we get feedback it may imply that we need to change the way we do things.

More on feedback next week. To get the full article and other related articles now go to my downloads page.

Caroline Cooper

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How to attract great people

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

It is estimated that the average cost of recruitment in the UK hospitality industry is around £1500 per person.   If you end up with over a hundred applicants for the same job (as some hotels report) it’s easy to see just how easily this figure can mount up, just on management time alone to sift through all the applications, let alone advertising, interviewing, and induction.  And that’s without considering the potential lost opportunities for productivity, customer service and increased sales due to lack of key staff.  So retaining your existing team is the priority.

But, from time to time even your most loyal people will leave. With such a number of applicants chasing each vacancy start by defining precisely what you’re looking for and specify this in your advertising and to your agency if you use one. Recruit on attitude rather than on skills alone. Systems and procedures and basic skills can be taught, whereas an enthusiasm for food and wine, and a passion for hospitality and service need to be minimum requirements.

Don’t limit your recruitment search to people who respond to your adverts.  Use your network of business contacts, your existing team and even your customers to help you find the best candidates.  Network or socialise where your prospective staff are; this will not only help to build relationships and reputation but will give you an opportunity to see people in a more relaxed environment. Start developing a “candidate pool” rather than waiting until you suddenly have a vacancy to fill.

Develop relationships with agencies as well as recruitment officers from local colleges and universities. Allow your existing team to participate in professional associations and training where they’re likely to be in contact with potential candidates.

Create a culture where the best employees will want to work, and build a reputation as a good employer so you attract the best people. A prerequisite is looking after your existing staff; they are far more likely to recommend you to others and spread the word that it’s a great place to work. Monitor the reputation of your business; listen to what your staff say, especially those who leave. Put yourself forward for awards to help build your repetition as a good employer.

Promote from within when ever possible.  Always let your existing staff know when a position is available.  Even if this is not a step up, it may present a new challenge to keep someone motivated.  If you do have internal applicants treat them in the same way as your external ones – acknowledging receipt of their application, interviews, offer letters, salary details, etc.  If internal candidates do not get the job ensure you give feedback to help with their development and to encourage them to apply for future positions.

If you’re not involved with the recruitment process yourself, ensure you train your management team how to recruit. Do they also know what values and attitude you are looking for? I recently read that that at PEER 1 they get people to spend the first 10 minutes of the interview drawing pictures of something that motivates or inspires them. That’s what they talk about during the first part of the interview. I take a similar approach on training course – it’s so simple and really helps to get people talking…

Involve your existing team in the recruitment process.  This will demonstrate your belief in them and strengthen their commitment to helping the new employee succeed.

At a potential cost of £1500 a time, it’s well worth giving recruitment the same respect and commitment you give to any other aspect of running your business.

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