Your top performer, a team member or manager quits out of the blue, and you are at a loss. What went wrong? Did I do something wrong? Will the rest of the team follow? How will this impact them and the restaurant?

As the leader you already know you will need to lean on your remaining team members and managers to take on more responsibility while you search for the replacement of the manager or team member. That is a big ask, especially of your team who is already stretched thin.

Given the possibility of losing other team members and managers who choose to follow, it is natural to worry that a valued team member’s or manager’s sudden departure could be the tipping point that pushes other valued employees to think about leaving. At the very least, it can upset the morale in your restaurant, which could affect work performance, teamwork, and employee engagement. So, now is the time to determine if your individual restaurant and team are doing the right things to drive a great work environment, teamwork and employee retention.

Why do employees leave BurgerBusters?

More than likely, you hear from the manager or team member who chooses to leave one or more of the following reasons for leaving their job:

  • inadequate salary
  • feeling overworked
  • lack of career advancement within BurgerBusters
  • need work-life balance / more time with family.
  • lack of recognition
  • unhappiness with management and restaurant culture
  • desire to make a change to try something different.

Many great BurgerBusters’ employees are feeling stuck right now. Staffing the restaurants has become a daily task for the RGMs and the DMs.

While the fast-food team member is in high demand, team members with great customer service skills likely will not have to wait long to find a new, great opportunity. We must take care of our team and our managers.

Please take a look at what we can do at the restaurant level to retain BurgerBusters’ great employees.

  1. Onboarding and Orientation – Every new hire should be set up for success from the start. Your onboarding process should teach new employees not only about the job, but also about the company culture and how they can contribute and thrive in it. Do not shortchange on this critical first step. The training and support you provide from day one, will set the tone for the employee’s entire tenure at BurgerBusters.
  2. Mentorship – Pairing a new employee with a MAKER or Team Trainer is a great avenue to add to your extended onboarding process, especially a new hire. Their first impression of BurgerBusters is in your hands. Mentors can welcome newcomers into the BurgerBusters family, offer ongoing assistance, and be a sounding board. This is also a win-win for everyone. New team members learn the ropes from experienced employees, MAKERS, Team Trainers and in return, they offer their point of view to their mentors.
  3. Perks– Make sure your team understands the perks BurgerBusters offers to them. Our perks can make BurgerBusters stand out to the new hire and re-engage current staff while also boosting employee morale.
  4. Communication – Team members and managers should feel they can come to you with ideas, questions, and concerns at any time. As the leader, you need to make sure you are doing your part to help promote constructive and positive communication across the entire team. Make sure you proactively connect with each team member on a regular basis by doing one on ones to get a sense of their growth within the company and job satisfaction.
  5. Continuous Feedback – Never make promises you cannot keep. Talk through potential career advancement within BurgerBusters with every team member and manager on your team and lay out a realistic SMART plan for reaching those goals. A great time to make this plan is when you set up your 3×3 IDP’s for the year and follow-up each period.
  6. Training and Development – As part of providing continuous feedback on performance, you can help your employees identify areas for professional growth, such as the need to learn new leadership and coaching skills. Upskilling is especially important to the BurgerBusters team today as technology continues to change daily.
  7. Recognition – Every person wants to feel appreciated for the work they do. With today’s great employees, the RGM’s and DM’s gratitude will make an especially big impact on the employee’s retention, so be sure to thank your team often who go the extra mile and explain how their hard work helps your team. Thank your teams for the small wins as well as the big wins.
  8. Work-life Balance – A healthy work-life balance is essential to job satisfaction. Your Teams need to know that you understand they have lives outside of work and recognize that maintaining balance can be challenging. Encourage your team to set boundaries and take their vacation time.
  9. Flexible Schedule Arrangements – Work with your team to be flexible around holidays, daycare situations, particular days off, second jobs, etc.
  10. Emphasis on Teamwork – Promote daily teamwork in your restaurant by creating opportunities for collaboration, team huddles each shift, and creating a plan around your PULSE survey results and follow-up daily.

It is inevitable that some team members will leave BurgerBusters sooner than you prefer, but a great work environment can at least make their decision a little tougher. If your employees leave knowing they were valued and supported, they will likely say good things about your leadership and their experience and, perhaps, even come back to work for BurgerBusters one day.

 

By: Jeanette Jones
VP of Special Operations