Tag Archive: Seasonal Hiring

  1. Grinches and Whos: How HR Practices Impact Organizational Culture

    As an HR leader, you’re not out there on the front lines boosting morale or infusing company culture into the workplace. Not directly, at least. But you play a huge role in shaping a harmonious (or hostile) workforce.

    Here’s an example: Let’s say Suess & Co. has a reputation for poor customer service. They’re known for hiring Grinches. Now, unless that’s an intentional hiring strategy, these Grinches will sully the Suess & Co. name, and create negative associations with everything the company sells.

    Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…
    But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did NOT!

    Grinches aren’t good for business, especially during the holiday season. And while Suess & Co. may claim they’re a Who-company, and profess Who-values, this vision won’t match reality until they change their Culture DNA.

    So how does Suess & Co. shift their customer service from folly to jolly? It’s starts at the top. Suess & Co. executives will set a goal for improving customer satisfaction, then it’s HR’s job to put that goal into action. Performance evaluations and benchmarking reveal a few Whos at Suess & Co. that generate exceptional customer service reviews. A job analysis then identifies the job-specific traits and competencies unique to these top-performing Whos.

    Knowing what makes a Who successful at Suess & Co. empowers HR to build a Who hiring profile and bolster Who culture across the workforce. By screening out Grinches and hiring more Whos, Suess & Co. will see a positive shift in culture that has a direct impact on customer service ratings and net promoter scores—just in time for the holidays!

    Interested in hiring fewer Grinches and more top-performing Whos? Whether you’re undergoing a culture shift, or you’re looking to more closely align your recruitment and hiring efforts to your existing culture, we can help.

    See how we’ve helped American Airlines create a hospitality culture, or schedule your demo today.

  3. Top 10 Traits of a Quality Restaurant Hire

    Learn more about hiring top-notch summer employees on Fast Casual.

    It’s About Who You Hire This Summer, Not How Many

    When it comes to hiring, the restaurant industry continues to outpace many other industries. According to the National Restaurant Association’s chief economist Bruce Grindy, job growth is projected to outpace the overall economy in 2016.

    And if we see a repeat of last year’s numbers, restaurants will hire more than 500,000 people for summer employment alone.

    The summer we have on the horizon certainly looks promising—the economy is good and gas prices are down, which means restaurants are in for a strong season. In fact, all but two U.S. states are expected to benefit from tourism and consumer’s pent-up demand for restaurants.

    If summer is peak season for your restaurant, then your managers are already in full staff-up mode. NOW HIRING sign on the door. List of confirmed re-hires from last year. Open positions posted online, and a fresh stack of applications in hand.

    Seasoned managers know the drill. They look at last year’s sales and check the local event calendar to determine how many new hires they’ll need for the upcoming summer.

    But having enough people on the floor isn’t the only thing that matters. To have a successful summer, you need the right people on the floor. Since the two biggest KPIs in restaurants are guest experience and sales, managers need to consider guest focus and sales ability every time they hire.

    According to research of more than 500,000 job applicants, here are the most important traits to look for as you staff up your front and back of house:

    1. Sociability
    2. Accommodation to Others
    3. Frustration Tolerance
    4. Drive & Energy
    5. Integrity
    6. Multi-tasking
    7. Persuasiveness
    8. Pride in Work
    9. Teamwork
    10. Safety

    Many of these traits are difficult to gauge in an interview. After all, serious candidates will know what managers are looking for and show up ready to present their “best self.” With several positions to fill, managers don’t have time to dig past the surface.

    Rapid, one-off hiring like this works to fill the ranks, but it doesn’t help to get the right people on the floor. Managers are having to guess about job fit, which means they might be hiring the kind of people who won’t last the entire summer.

    To slow the cycle of hire-train-repeat, especially during peak season, many restaurants have turned to technology to improve the process. As one HR spokesperson from Chili’s says:

    “We like to give our managers as many tools as we possibly can to make sure we’re hiring the right folks who create the right experience for our guests.”

    Which makes sense—because determining quality of talent shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of the hiring manager. Using technology, restaurants can transform hiring into something that’s scalable and objective.

    Why head into summer any other way? Just as you portion for food prep, you’ll become much more efficient and keep costs down when you use tools to target the top 10 traits of a quality restaurant hire.

  4. Ready, Set, Hire! Memorial Day is Around the Corner

    It seems we’ve just recovered from the holiday season, and now it’s time to gear up for the summer. How did that happen? Time moves quickly and so should you when it comes to staffing up for one of the busiest times of the year—summer vacation!

    As soon as the kids start singing “School’s Out!” you’ll have hordes of hungry road trippers, travelers, and festival-goers at your doorstep. Summer brings more hours of daylight, and for many restaurants, more hours of business. Are you ready?

    U.S. restaurants expect to hire about 500,000 seasonal employees in an average summer, many of them high school and college students, according the National Restaurant Association. So it’s no surprise that competition can get pretty fierce. The sooner you get your summer hires squared away, the more prepared you’ll be for peak season.

    Here are six hiring tips to set you up for success this summer:

    1. Get social. There’s a big talent pool out there, and you don’t have to wait for walk-ins. If your summer staff is made up of high school and college students, go where they are—social media! And if you don’t already offer online applications, it’s time for an upgrade.
    2. Promote your brand. Summer job seekers are starting to weight their options. What makes working at your restaurant better than working next door? Amp up your job description and market your company as a fun place to work.
    3. Add assessments. Although the work may be temporary, staff quality still matters. Guests won’t forget a bad experience, and in peak season, the pressure’s on. Make sure to hire people who fit your culture and have a special knack for food service.
    4. Tailor your interview questions. Think about the daily tasks and skills needed for the job, then create a list of interview questions that specifically address those tasks. For example, if you’re hiring a restaurant manager, ask them to tell you about a time when the kitchen got backed up and guests were getting frustrated. How did they handle the problem?
    5. Don’t get sloppy. Follow your process. While it may be tempting to skip a reference check when you have a lot of positions to fill, fight the urge. It’s better to hire right the first time than to fire mid-season (or worse—mid-shift!)
    6. Repeat what works. Reach out to last year’s shining stars. Do they want to spend another summer with you? And, while you’re at it, ask them if they have friends who are interested too.

    Hungry to hire this summer? Don’t sweat it.

  5. What Should Retailers Consider When Hiring Seasonal Workers?

    Seasonal employees are a vital component of many retail businesses that struggle to meet temporary upticks in operational demand, if the normal staff is ill-equipped to handle the increased workload.

    Seasonal or temporary hiring, as such, should be approached with a few considerations in mind. First and foremost, let there be no discrepancies about the duration of the employment opportunity being offered. In many cases, short-term employment will be the mutual desire of the candidate and company.

    (more…)