Strategies to Reduce Hospitality Staff Turnover

Poor Management

The first, and most obvious, cause of employee turnover is poor management. Employees who feel like they can’t approach their supervisors with issues or feel like there is a lack of communication and trust between management and staff will end up leaving. As the saying goes, “employees don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses.”

Poor Hiring Decisions

In the same vein, turnover can be attributed to outright poor hiring decisions. If the staff chosen for the job has a poor attitude, is irresponsible and late to work, doesn’t have the competency to perform the job correctly, or is otherwise unprofessional, the whole team suffers, and turnover is likely.

Poor Compensation, Benefits, or Opportunities

Everything within a restaurant might be going right, but if the opportunities offered to its staff are nonexistent, the team is likely to suffer from turnover. Poor compensation and lack of benefits is the quickest way to lose a talented candidate to another offer. If you can’t offer your staff the basics in terms of health benefits, no matter what plan, or a chance to grow their compensation and career by advancing, they will find somewhere else to work. Plain and simple.

The Restaurant is Unsuccessful

Similar to the above reasons, if a restaurant is not doing well; isn’t busy during typical “rush hours” and doesn’t bring a lot of traffic in the door, the result is less opportunity for the staff to work and earn money by way of salary and tips. Lack of opportunity is what ultimately contributes to turnover in this case. Talented employees want to be a part of a winning team and a winning culture. If the restaurant isn’t doing well, you’re likely to find your staff out the door and looking for another opportunity where they can excel.

Ways to Address Turnover

The very first way to address turnover is to start with hiring the right people. In order to do this you must take a hard look at your team, evaluating all the details of your team and the leadership. Where is the owner? The manager? Who is in charge and who leads everyone? Who is responsible for addressing issues as they come up? Are your staff engaged and happy to be working for you? What is the culture of your restaurant like? Start by taking an inventory of where you’re at, then look to hone in on some of the areas for growth.

Placing high priority on best hiring practices is key. Ensure a good hire every time by carefully reviewing a candidate’s resume for evidence of success and achievement. Back this up by checking their references and speaking to previous supervisors. Offer job shadowing or a try out day so they know what they’re getting into and see how they handle themselves. Your investment in your people is your restaurant’s greatest asset.

Need more help?

Contact ZD Hospitality for a complimentary consultation. ZD Hospitality specializes in reducing employee turnover by starting with the basics. In your consultation, you’ll receive an analysis of your business so you can easily identify where you’re struggling and pinpoint measurable ways to address these issues, resulting in more employee engagement and lowered turnover overall.

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