Catch Them Doing It Right!

By Mike Albert

Staff turnover and poor customer service are significant issues facing restaurant owners and managers. By implementing quality and service evaluation programs that focus on what employees are doing right, then using those programs as a tool to develop recognition and reward systems, operators can dramatically increase employee morale. With higher morale, operators will experience less staff turnover, better customer service and increased revenues.

Ultimately, people want to do their job well and feel they are part of something special. Employees will lose the motivation to do a good job when managers only point out the negative and never the positive. Unfortunately, many companies tend to place more focus on what employees are doing wrong in an effort to redirect those actions. Over time, employees start to feel they never do anything right and will stop trying to do a good job. Customers will immediately pick up on this attitude and are likely to move on to a competitor who offers more pleasant service. Obviously, focusing on the negative aspects of staff performance creates an environment where no one can succeed.

A negative environment can be reinforced by implementing quality and service evaluation programs that send secret shoppers into restaurants specifically to catch employees doing something wrong. Unfortunately, this is the traditional use for a secret shopper program.

A better mindset is to develop a service evaluation program that looks for employees getting things right. People will do more of what you inspect than what you expect. If the staff is aware they are being inspected for things they are doing right, they will consistently make an extra effort to include the small things that add something special to the customer experience. Frequent evaluations by random observers will ensure that staff will treat every customer like a secret shopper, so it is important to develop an ongoing program with a different evaluator each time.

Armed with results from a quality and service evaluation, restaurant operators can take the next step by developing recognition and reward programs.

Employee morale drastically improves when restaurant owners and managers simply show appreciation by recognizing and rewarding employees who are doing a good job. After all, who does not want a pat on the back from their boss when a job has been done well? People want to be recognized for the positive things they are doing, even if there is no tangible reward. For many employees, just the recognition in front of co-workers is enough.

While simple recognition can let employees know they are appreciated, tangible rewards can help drive healthy competition among employees and encourage them to go beyond the basics.
Developing a program to reward your employees does not have to be costly. Simple and inexpensive rewards can include a certificate, naming the employee in a company-wide newsletter, adding their name and photo to a plaque that is displayed in a public area, or a small monetary incentive.

More elaborate incentive programs could include a weekend getaway, large bonuses, plasma screen televisions, or company-wide competition/award program.

With a high level of employee morale established from simple recognition and reward programs, any restaurant is set up for success. Staff will feel appreciated and develop a sense of loyalty, reducing the level of turnover. Healthy competition for rewards and the knowledge that good work is appreciated will result in employees who enjoy what they do and provide better customer service. Customers can sense when employees enjoy their work, and that leads to a more enjoyable customer experience. When the customers enjoy their experience, they will visit more often and will encourage their friends to do the same, resulting in increased sales. Everybody wins.

This article found at:
http://www.foodservice.com/editorials/ed_listing_detail.cfm?&article_id=888