Simple ways how to motivate your bar staff
A continuous revolving door of ever-changing employees can cause havoc in a bar in terms of sales, and that is not including the increasing hard and soft costs generated by a continual turnover of team members. The good news, however, is that there are ways to motivate your bar staff that not only increase productivity but will also enable the retention of staff for much longer periods of time.
Execution
Flawless execution should be the end goal of every single shift, every single day. This mentality needs to come from the top down, with consistent management involvement and an exceptional attitude toward further training. Believing that there is no such thing as a status quo and that there is always room for improvement in everything, results in incremental changes. These may seem imperceptible at the time, but slowly add up to a much better quality of service and substantial long-term changes. These result in a highly motivated workforce, without the need for potentially alienating, sudden, radical overhauls.
Autonomy
Team members need to be given enough stake that they not only feel they are one of the team, but also that when opportunities arise, they can also be involved with providing solutions. The management needs to be able to lay down guidelines on how bar staff can achieve that experience, without losing authority.
Training
Choosing, training and retaining staff are the most crucial factors in the whole of the hospitality industry. Trainers are of paramount importance and must maintain the highest level of integrity in order to ensure bar staff are trained in the same way. Panic hiring results in panic training, so take the steps that are needed to ensure the consistent following of a training schedule. This is likely to be a new employee’s one chance to learn things in the correct manner.
Incentives
The use of specific incentives at particular times can ensure that staff members are kept focused on particular goals. There is no need to go overboard with such incentives, but bar staff should be challenged, using tactics that are connected to strategy, with measurable results.
Design and cleanliness
Thoughtful workplace bar design is a powerful tool for getting the best out of employees. Comfortable ambient conditions that include a controlled temperature, access to daylight and natural views all help. The coordination of colours, a constant eye on health and safety standards, and a bar that’s always kept clean, will challenge bar staff to maintain a high standard and further encourage teamwork.