Hospitality Personnel News

Staff training a little staid? Mix it up

Using uninspired environments for your staff training sessions will only ensure that your methods will go unheard, one website has said.

Consider adopting a range of interesting techniques to keep training interesting and engaging instead, Big Hospitality suggests.

Locally-sourced is one of our industry's watchwords, but how involved and knowledgeable in it are your staff? Encourage them to get out there and visit suppliers. "It's one thing raving about the way your sustainable fish are caught, but another to show your team exactly how it's done," the website says.

One of the best things about our restaurants is the plethora of diverse foods available. In most cities we're spoilt for choice from a range of international dishes. In particular, Asian foods are becoming very popular.

So, if you've got the cash, why not send your staff abroad?

"It may seem like a costly exercise but taking an annual trip abroad can not only improve your team's knowledge and service skills, but your staff retention rate is bound to pick up too," the website said.

Pizza Express, for example, recently offered staff a trip to Naples to educate them as to the fundamentals of Italian cooking.

Do you have problems with customer service? Employ role play to improve the way your staff handle those difficult customer situations that will inevitably crop up. It's part and parcel of the business, so don't ignore it - deal with it.

"Working together as a group, encourage your staff to act out different scenarios," the website suggests.

This could be anything from aggressive customers, problems with suppliers, to relations among your own workforce.

What all these ideas show is that getting out there, gaining experience and practical, empirical knowledge, really is the way forward.

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