How to Re-Recruit Your Team Members Every Shift
By Jim Sullivan
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2016 Issue 4 | THE SCORE have written often about the importance of making hiring THE most important decision in your restaurant . I ’ ve shared best practices from the industry ’ s best brands relative to sourcing , hiring and developing the best talent . Most of those best practices have centered on recruiting good people and then developing them into great people . But somewhere between “ recruiting ” and “ retention ” lies the little-used process of “ re-recruiting .” This means keeping your “ A ” players engaged , appreciated and energized every day . It ’ s done by showing appreciation every shift and letting them specifically know why their work matters .
Outstanding team members are high maintenance in that they expect focus , goals , guidance , appreciation and recognition from their supervisors . Focus and goal-setting seem to be naturally abundant in the supervisory skillsets of our GMs , but appreciation , encouragement and recognition is in a little bit shorter supply . Why ?
There are both developmental and financial reasons . Foodservice managers are trained and expected to focus first on tangible goals aligned to measurables such as same-store sales , customer service scores , labor hours , food costs , repair and maintenance expenses , marketing dollars , operating margins , training costs and sales per labor hour . These line items are clear and accruable , subject to multiplication , subtraction or division , and therefore easily columned and scrutinized in a profit and loss statement . Managers are salaried and bonused