How do we decrease employee turnover in our restaurant?
Our hiring decisions are really important because each member on our team has an impact on the guest experience. Lately, we've had a high employee turnover despite everything looking good on paper and in the interviews with potential candidates. This wastes a lot of time and resources training new employees that end up leaving shortly after. My industry is Hospitality and we get a lot of young applicants. Is age the cause to our turnover rate? What should I be looking for instead to find the right candidate?
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Dec 21, 2014
Look for his interest in your company or work. ask relevant questions to candidate then evaluate his ans. then think about whether he is perfect for your requirements hire him or send the message for Dropping In.
Dec 21, 2014
This usually happens with a lot of my clients. When hiring a candidate, more than his skills (which cannot be totally ignored), try to gauge his passion for your kind of business. Ask him about his long term goal and judge whether he shares the same values as you do in achieving your vision.
One other way is to hire interns and imbibe them with values and culture of your organization. If you deem them fit at the end of their internship, may be you could offer them full time positions!
This would help in reducing attrition. It cannot be completely eliminated.
Dec 20, 2014
While picking the right candidate for the job, we must focus on two attributes - attitude and skills. We must know what kind of attitude and set of skills we are looking for in a candidate. Once that is determined the job of selecting the right candidate becomes easier. Therefore what is most important is we ourselves being crystal clear regarding what we want in a candidate. Unfortunately, most of the employers have only a vague idea regarding that and that makes their job difficult. So, pick up a candidate who might be a bit short on your skills list but shows the attitude you require for the job he is being evaluated for.
Dec 20, 2014
I was a server for over fifteen years of my life, and I can say that turnover is the way things are. For most people working in the hospitality business is a stepping stone for the career people really want. Turnover could be caused by many things, lousy tips, the job itself being boring or unfullfilling, or simply people moving on to bigger and better things. Age, of course is also a factor. Young workers, especially these days are always looking for the better opportunity. This fast rate of turn over policy creates a lack of job loyalty, and also is a trend is the hospitality business in general. They also are trying to figure out what they really want to do for a living, which means they're not really serious about what they have. I suggest a staffing company, they take all the leg work out of hiring, and weed out the undesirables for you. During the hiring process, you might want to consider changing your line of questioning. Don't overlook social networking, like Linked In or Facebook. Its a good way to judge your candidate's background and better determine your candidates real focus.
Dec 20, 2014
One thing have notice when companies hire a lot of applicants is due to who know who. I think it should be based off experience and education. For example, I have a hard time for jobs I like because my education scares the companies away. Many people would rather start at bottom job and work themselves into a career. Sometimes you have to ask open ended questions that relate to the job and hoping they give honest reactions.
Dec 19, 2014
If they're younger employees, this is normal. To keep them around, they need a fun, collaborative, exciting environment and to feel connected to the management. If they are made to feel that their input and opinions are heard and valuable, they'll be more engaged. Be laid back, transparent, and flexible with them. Point out how skills they're learning on the job will translate in later careers. I was with my first job during college for 3 years and still have a relationship with my former boss because he made me like and trust him, which built a sense of loyalty.
Dec 19, 2014
I think that age does have a lot to do with high turnover. A young person has a different vision when it comes to work. Pressure might be also another factor as is working environment. Do you do an exit interview? What kind of reasons do employees give you when they leave? Is it another position for more money? different industry? Maybe a combination of more money and a little more mature candidates could resolve the issue.
Dec 19, 2014
Hi Jason In my experience one of the best ways to interview a candidate is to offer a 1 day work trial as part of the interview process, this way the possible employee gets to see what working for you is like and how busy your business is and you get to see how they cope in your working environment , it they are buddied with an long serving employee they will soon tell you if this prospective employee has the skills you require and if they will fit into the team . You can also find out if they are keen, eager and want to work if they ask lots of questions during their shift . If you do this over the course of a week you should be able to find the person that fits in with your culture and team and is then able to deliver the consistent customer experience you require . Trust this all makes sense - Philip
Dec 18, 2014
In my experience there are lots of different factors that could cause this problem. What's the age range? If you are talking college students and high school that might be a possibility. You could also try benchmarking and see what might give an employee and incentive to stay. Have you done exit interviews?
Dec 17, 2014
In addition to all the other advice you received, have you tried taking the candidate offsite? Our organization was plagued with high turnover as well. A little over a year ago, as part of the interview process, we started taking candidates out to dinner with the management team. Once offsite, we didn't talk much about the organization or the position (that was all done in the formal interviews) but rather looked at how well he or she interacted with the group. It helped us immensely when you removed the interview setting to see how a person really engaged with us.
This year, our turnover rate is at a record low and we plan on keeping it that way. For anyone that does leave, we conduct a full exit interview to learn more of the "whys" so we can improve and make adjustments. Good luck with your candidates!