3 steps to successful staff management for restaurants

Creating clear guidance for your teams so that they know what is expected of them when they start working in one of your restaurants is the first step towards successful people management. Here at Access, we know a thing or two about hospitality staff management, in our article Restaurant staff – Setting out rules and regulations we looked at some of the ways successful businesses manage their staff during the onboarding period with the use of a staff handbook.  

Laying out rules and regulations in a staff handbook provides a framework for everyone and serves as a reference tool for owners, managers and employees when needed.  

To function at its best, however, a restaurant needs strong management to ensure these rules are adhered to and that staff are performing well. A good manager is also one who listens, addresses concerns, inspires and motivates employees to ensure they are happy and fulfilled. 

Customers will also notice when your workforce is happy, which will have a positive impact on their experience and therefore on their view of your business. 

What, then is the best way to manage restaurant staff to ensure they are happy, motivated, and performing to their best abilities? 

Step 1: Be flexible 

While it is beneficial to set a framework for employees and tell them how you expect them to behave while working for your business, enforcing rules too rigidly and failing to respond to their needs or consider requests for more flexible working could have a negative impact on their performance. 

There has been an increasing move towards flexible working over the last few years and hospitality, which traditionally has expected staff to work unsociable (and sometimes long) hours, must tap into this trend to retain, and attract staff. 

Scheduling shifts fairly while ensuring cover is sufficient is a balancing act, but taking individual requests and requirements on board will help keep staff happy. Creating flexible working practices, such as releasing shifts on self-serve platforms, will also give staff more autonomy over their work-life balance.  

Step 2: Be supportive 

Managing staff effectively also means managing their well-being. It is a manager’s responsibility to protect and improve the physical and mental health of employees while they are working. 

On a basic level, this means encouraging staff to take breaks between shifts, or when required and ensuring they adhere to the business’s health and safety policy, but on a deeper level, it is about listening to any concerns they might have and addressing them swiftly. 

This starts with management, but it also needs to be fed down to other employees. Alongside vocational training and development, teams should be equipped with the skills to look after each other with access to training in first-aid, to become a well-being or mental health champion in the workplace. 

After all, a restaurant runs most effectively when staff work together as a team, so give them the tools to be able to do that. 

Step 3: Be present 

The first two steps towards successfully managing restaurant staff will only be effective if a manager is present and available to employees. 

Being on-site means a restaurant manager can see first-hand how employees work together and where there may be issues over shift schedules – whether too many or too few members of staff are working. They will also be able to keep an eye on employee wellbeing, listen to concerns and act on them quickly if needed. 

Leading a staff briefing before a busy service is a great way to address any concerns and communicate important updates, as well as instil that team spirit. 

To aid presentism, a restaurant manager should make use of hospitality HR software that supports them in their role and frees them from spending time on mundane office-based tasks, thus allowing them more time on the restaurant floor. 

Hospitality HR software to ensure successful management  

From recruitment and onboarding to exit, employees go through a journey with you. Providing the best possible experience at every stage ensures hiring and retaining the best talent whilst helping to increase productivity, reduce labour costs and boost your employer brand.  

Here at Access, we highly recommend digitising your workforce management. Our hospitality HR software takes care of all your people processes. Staff scheduling, labour optimisation, training and payroll - every element of your people management is easy with our one cloud-based solution.  

See our software in action in our 7-minute demo video, or talk to the team to explore the solutions that could help you.