To combat staff turnover, it’s critical for restaurant businesses to implement effective and engaging onboarding and training to ensure employees have more reason to stay and to set the business up for success. Infact, Employee retention rate grows by 30–50% at companies with a potent training program.
Job training and skills are two of the main reasons people don’t take jobs or don’t stay at jobs. And it’s not just the hard skills of job functionality, it’s also a gap in soft skills such as handling real-life workplace situations like disagreements with colleagues.
When looking at the food sector, franchise brands make up a substantial number of all restaurants in Australia. With operations spread across communities in multiple states around the country, it can be particularly challenging to ensure employees at franchise restaurants are undergoing the needed onboarding and training to deliver a consistent brand experience. Having a streamlined onboarding and training process can be the difference between success and failure for franchise restaurants.
Learning management systems should also be as user-friendly as possible. While most people use their mobile phones these days to browse the internet, it makes sense to meet employees where they are most comfortable engaging. Training software at the tip of your fingers allows employees to have an enjoyable and interactive training experience which can dramatically improve retention rates and result in less turnover. With mobile-friendly and easy single-sign-on options, employees can train anywhere and anytime.
Perhaps easier said than done, but training doesn’t have to be a chore. Instead, having a training program that makes learning fun for employees helps both managers and employees participate.
At the end of the day, the back-of-house and front-line employees are the backbone of a restaurant. Ensuring employees receive proper training from ownership to front-line employees will go a long way in growing a franchise restaurant.
Whether you’re thinking of opening your first restaurant or currently operating a multi-unit franchise, the best way to ensure success and growth is to have a training program in place that is customisable, data-driven, and engaging. As the restaurant industry continues to navigate through recent changes since the global pandemic, employers can avoid turnover by taking this critical first step.
In today’s world of high turnover and job resignation, having a training program that is customizable, data-driven, and engaging for all employees is an absolute necessity to succeed.
In an industry that must ensure workers are complying with food, health, and safety standards, having a way to track company-wide compliance is paramount. When it comes to compliance, data is key. With an effective learning management system in place, managers and executives can keep track of food safety and compliance records in one centralised place, rather than across dozens of spreadsheets and paper records.
With team members around the country and potentially across the globe, it’s important for brands working in the restaurant franchise industry to have access to training results, performance appraisals, surveys, and other KPI tools to measure success in real-time and have actionable insights to drive improvement.
When working with multi-unit brands across the globe, it’s important to have a training program that is customised to a specific industry and job role and this is where technology plays a huge role. Looking solely at the restaurant industry, training a restaurant manager versus front-line staff is going to be different. As is training employees in a 250-seat fine dining establishment versus a quick service restaurant concept that does 80% of its business via the drive-through.
Other ways that technology can play a role in reducing staff turnover includes, efficient scheduling where software solutions can help create fair and efficient schedules that take into account employee preferences, availability, and workload requirements. This can reduce scheduling conflicts and provide better work-life balance, leading to increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover.
Utilising technology for effective communication and feedback within the workplace can improve employee engagement. Instant messaging apps, collaboration tools, and internal communication software enable employees to stay connected, share information, and provide feedback in real-time. Regular communication and feedback channels can enhance job satisfaction and address concerns promptly.
Adopting technology-enabled performance management systems can provide objective evaluations and constructive feedback to employees. These systems can track individual and team performance, set goals, and offer recognition and rewards for outstanding achievements. Transparent performance evaluations can motivate employees and provide a sense of fairness.
Technology solutions such as point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory management software, and kitchen automation tools can streamline restaurant operations. Automating manual tasks, reducing errors, and improving overall efficiency can alleviate employee stress and enhances job satisfaction.
Employee engagement platforms and mobile apps can help boost staff morale and retention. These platforms provide a space for employees to share achievements, recognise their peers, and participate in gamified activities. By fostering a positive work culture and recognising employee contributions, technology can increase job satisfaction and decrease turnover.
Technology can also help analyze employee data, such as performance metrics, attendance records, and turnover rates. By utilising predictive analytics, employers can identify patterns and potential causes of turnover. This knowledge can enable proactive interventions, such as targeted retention strategies, addressing specific concerns, and creating personalised career development plans.
It all starts with using technology to set the right work culture and spirit through onboarding and training. Restaurants are people-focused businesses and we must not lose track of the fact that technology is the only to enable and support staff, rather than be their master. It’s often believed that the restaurant industry has been slow to fully embrace all that technology can offer it, but we don’t believe this is the case. However the ones that have, are certainly outperforming the organistions that have yet to fully get onboard.
