Having the best staff can contribute to the success of your bar. As such, it is good to ensure that you employ people who are personable and customer-focused. That said, here are some tips from Mitchells and Butlers for recruiting and keeping great employees:
Determine the Role You Would Like to Fill
Are you looking for someone who needs a long-term career or someone who is looking for a short-term job in a friendly work environment? Your job ad should tell the right story so that it can help you find the right person for the role you want to fill. If you are looking for long-term staff, show that there will be responsibilities, opportunities, skills to learn, and great benefits.
On the other hand, if you are looking for short-term staff, show the lively, fun, and sociable nature of the job. If you offer any perks such as meals, then include it in your job ad. Be honest when hiring. Keep in mind that if it isn’t a fun job or if there are no opportunities, your new recruits may quit.
Hire for Attitude Over Skills
It would be great if you find a friendly, personable, and intelligent candidate with the skills you need. However, if that is not the case, don’t worry. If there is a candidate with the right attitude, you can hire them and help them develop the skills you need. It is easier to help someone develop skills than to create a positive, energetic attitude in a person who does not have it. Great attitude includes:
Likeability: Look for a genuine smile, good eye contact, and easy conversation. Confidence is also worth considering.
Service-oriented: Working in a bar is service work and the main objective is to leave customers satisfied. Look for a candidate who gives you an excellent experience during the hiring process. Also look for a candidate who is punctual, smart, and well-prepared. To know about their attitude to service, ask them what they would say to an unhappy customer or what makes great customer service.
Enthusiasm: A good candidate shows enthusiasm for the job they are applying for. As such, it is good to find out whether the candidates know about the role. Enthusiastic candidates are interested in the role and will find out as much as possible about the role. The right candidate will also show enthusiasm for the role and show that they have thought about the role.
Use Social Media and Mobile Platforms
If you only use the old-fashioned way to advertise a job opening, you may not reach thousands of great candidates. The only way to reach such candidates is to advertise an opening through social media and mobile platforms. Consider the following:
-Creating an exciting campaign on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter
-Using online psychometric tools to screen out candidates
-Making the hiring process easier for candidates by making it possible for them to apply for the job opening or openings using job apps and mobile-optimized information capture tools.
-Speeding up your recruitment process by not asking for in-depth CVs and cover letters which takes too long to put together and respond to.
Invest in The Skills of Your Employees
Job mastery can motivate your staff. Training your employees shows that you are happy to invest time and money in the skills of your employees. Employees who are trained feel valued, more engaged with their job, and are less likely to quit. Training does not mean upskilling through off-the-job courses. It can mean:
Job Shadowing
Bringing in an expert like wine experts for a knowledge session
Taking it in turns to select the playlist and explain what they like
If you believe in lifelong learning, then remember that every experience can be a learning opportunity.
Make It Fun
Young people like working in a bar mainly because of the element of sociability and of making friends. Therefore, your culture should encourage fun, good times, and a team spirit to attract such people. Avoid a blame culture. Instead, try as much as possible to encourage an atmosphere that is both open and honest. Treat your employees equally and give them leeway to invent games, select the playlist they like, and enjoy their workday or night while offering excellent customer service.
Involve Your Employees in Decision Making
When you involve your employees in day-to-day decision making, they will feel important. This can motivate them to work harder. Besides, employees can be a source of great ideas as they know the business well. However, ensure that involving your staff in the decision-making process is not only lip service. Think through your employees’ suggestions. Keep in mind that if your employees see their suggestions acted upon, they will feel a sense of belonging and ownership and feel appreciated.
Keep It Challenging
It is good to keep a job challenging to prevent it from becoming boring. Your employees want to be challenged. You can keep them professionally challenged and keep them interested by doing the following:
Job rotation
Assigning them new or different responsibilities
Assigning them special projects that help your business
