In every business, a good working environment allows employees to connect more with their work and feel a sense of fulfillment and happiness, increasing productivity and decreasing employee turnover. Unfortunately, a lot of F&B and hospitality establishments focus more on the aesthetics and taste rather than the quality of service provided.
For Isabel Lozano, founder of The Experience Collective, which designs experiences for hospitality establishments, a company that invests in training their staff and improving their working environment will yield productive and satisfied employees, making them eager and willing to serve customers. As a manager or boss, the change should start with yourself.
“Be a really good example of a true leader by exemplifying the standards of your business. Be on time, be supportive, and get your hands dirty if you need to. If the staff notices your efforts and are supported by their superiors, their bad habits diminish.” A lot of managers seem to forget that being in charge doesn’t just mean passing down responsibilities and tasks to the staff and getting angry every time they screw up.
‘Bad’ employee habits often stem from being unhappy, and being unhappy stems from personal issues, so make sure to check on their personal lives but don’t be intrusive.
Another way is by constant communication with your subordinates. “Don’t just establish an employee-to-manager relationship, but connect with them as human to human.” ‘Bad’ employee habits often stem from being unhappy, and being unhappy stems from personal issues, so make sure to check on their personal lives but don’t be intrusive.
“Really get to know them and make them feel that you care about what happens to them outside work. When you practice that and acknowledge the little things they do right every day, you can alleviate their bad working habits. At the end of the day, it’s making sure that the working environment is a fruitful, productive, positive, and encouraging one.”