At this year's Bar & Restaurant Expo, Nate Yungvanitsait, President & Founder, University of Beer, Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen, and Sean Biggs, COO, The University of Beer, Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen, gave a presentation titled, "People Work for People: Why your Employees Move On, Not Up, in Your Organization."
In the session, Nate & Sean broke down some of the top reasons your staff may be leaving—and it centers around five employee retention myths. We'll break down those five myths here and dive into what you should be doing instead.
1. If I make them happy, they will work hard and stay.
Many establishments think "treats" and appreciation programs like giving out gift cards, celebrating employee appreciation day, or implementing an employee of the month program (which always ends up being the same person), are enough to keep employees happy. The truth? They're not enough. An Amazon gift card will never be enough to convince an unhappy employee to stay.
Instead, management should focus on ensuring their staff is competent and confident at work. This will help prevent problems, as well as the anger that stems from them. It will also help operators better manage employees.
2. High turnover is a sign of bad leadership.
All turnover isn’t necessarily bad—especially if it involves talent that doesn't fit with your company culture or contribute to the team. Nate & Sean say operators should be picky about people and limit their team to the top talent.
3. This generation is lazy and lacks dedication.
In their session, Nate & Sean joked that this generation has poured hours into games that require a lot of work, like Animal Crossing, proving they can be dedicated. While the example is humorous, there is truth in it—this generation is certainly dedicated, they just may not be dedicated to your goals.
You need to invest in your people and their knowledge so that they in turn feel invested in your goals. And don't be afraid to go beyond industry knowledge, consider other types of education like financial literacy, too.
4. Employees will quit if you’re too strict.
This is not true. Nate & Sean say you shouldn't be afraid to give this generation stricter standards—just be sure you're consistent.
5. The best servers/bartenders don’t want to be managers.
Another myth that isn't true. There are a number of reasons why your servers/bartenders aren't making the move up to manager. For one, they may want to grow, but maybe they don’t want to grow in your company. If so, consider why.
Oftentimes, if people don't see someone who looks like them or inspires them in the role, they will think they can't do it. Be sure you're putting your best people in management roles so that they can inspire those coming up after them.
Check back next week to learn Nate & Sean's five systems for growing people.
Plan to Attend or Participate in the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 18-20, 2024
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo 2024 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello (for companies A to G) e: [email protected] p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz (for companies H to Q) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh (for companies R to Z) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-5174
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