Keeping employee morale up is always important. The first key is to make sure that you are thinking through how your employees might be feeling and what they might be dealing with. The next step, though, is to use this information to do specific things to help them whenever possible.
Here are eight important things we should consider as we continue to try to support our businesses and our staff, whether during good times or during challenging times.
- Share information with staff as much as possible. It is important to make everyone feel like they are a part of the team. Make sure you provide consistent and clear communication and give opportunities for staff to offer suggestions and solutions.
- Try to be more flexible with scheduling. Work hard to try to accommodate reasonable requests by reevaluating the number of staff needed, opening up more possibilities for flexible shifts and allowing staff to switch schedules with their coworkers.
- Practice active listening and check in with everyone as much as you can. Sometimes an ear is what people really need.
- Have a list of resources available for anyone that may be struggling. In today’s electronic world, there are many apps and online resources available. Be mindful of what you are hearing and try to come up with solutions whenever possible.
- Encourage and setup time for staff to be social, whether that is virtually or in person. People need to feel like they are able to connect with their coworkers in order to truly enjoy their workplace.
- Give positive words and hope for the future, but do not hold back bad news. It is hard to tell people negative/bad news, but if you can do so while giving some hope for the future, it will go a long way towards a positive outcome.
- Try to know and understand your employees. This does not mean you need to know everything but try to be aware of what makes them tick and how that could have an impact on your business.
- Try to make work fun in little ways. Fun, easy contests. Little tokens of appreciation. Even the little things can have a huge impact on employee satisfaction, effort and retention.
The food service industry employs one of the largest workforce segments in the United States. But, how do you find and retain the right employee for your business? Click here to view a blog all about this topic.
