HR in the Restaurant Industry
Of all of the industries, the foodservice and restaurant industry has the higher employee turnover rate than any other. Meeting the challenge of keeping your restaurant running smoothly means having a good staff in place. Thus, managing your human capital in any foodservice establishment is important to your success and essential to your customers.It is a truism that good help is hard to find, especially in the restaurant business. In a recent survey conducted by Toast, for a little less than half (46%) of all restaurateurs interviewed, meeting the continuous challenge of hiring, training, and retaining restaurant staff is the biggest challenge to their business.
As the success of a restaurant increases, the policies you put in place to manage your workers will increase. One way to deal with this is to outsource the entire recruiting process and hire an HR consultant. They can help tailor your hiring process and manage your workers. An HR consultant or consulting firm can also ensure that your workers know their rights as well as they know your establishment’s policies.
HR Policies by the Book
They can also keep you compliant with employment laws. Whether it is a federal, state, city or municipal mandate, if you are not in compliance it can be a big legal headache that can cost you time and money, and it could ultimately spell the end of your business if you aren’t careful. Either your attorney or your HR consultant can go over all of the policies that you need to have in place for your location. Polices to look for include:
Federally mandated work policies:
- Work hours
- Worker’s compensation
- Medical leave
- Discrimination
- Pay
Mandates by State Law – these may vary from state to state:
- Termination of employment – is your state a right-to-work state?
- Harassment – There are specific ways in which reports of any form or harassment are handled, also dependent upon your location.
- Health and food safety inspections.
Health Codes & Safety
Find out the requirements of your health department. Everyone who handles food in whatever capacity must comply with these important regulations in order to ensure the health of all concerned. Some locations require employees to be certified to handle food according to the code. Outline these within the employee handbook and place signs to remind your workers of the most important safe food handling policies.
Food safety laws are put in place to protect your patrons. However, it is also important in protecting the safety of your workers. Making sure that everyone in your organization understands and follows these policies is essential for your restaurant’s success.
To get more ideas on effective policies and guidelines for your food service establishment, read this article at Customer Think.
At Einstein HR, we are committed to helping you with all of your human resource needs. We can help you screen and interview qualified candidates and can help you in putting together an employee handbook that is tailored to suit your needs. With our alliance partners, Einstein HR can help with all of your payroll and benefits needs and make sure that your organization is compliant with the law.
Einstein HR is here to help Contact us today at 770-962-1700 to schedule a consultation.
