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Once They’re on Board

14 / Human Resources
The hiring process is only the beginning of the challenge of having employees.
The next thing you need to do is train them.
Many small businesses conduct their “training” just by throwing someone into the
job. That’s not fair to the employee, and it’s certainly not good for your business. If
you think you can’t afford to spend time on training, think again: Can you afford not to
adequately train your employees? Do you really want them preparing food or interacting
with your customers when you haven’t told them how you want things done?
In an ideal world, employees could be hired already knowing everything they need
to know. But this isn’t an ideal world, so if you want the job done right, you have to
teach your people how to do it. Bakery owner Jim Amaral says he looks for people
with food-service experience because they’re used to being on their feet in a fast-paced
environment, but he expects to have to train people in the art of sourdough bread
making. “Because we do so much training, we really look for people who we think are
going to be around for a couple of years or more,” he says.
Virtually all table-service restaurant operators provide employees with some sort of
on-the-job training, with about 90 percent providing ongoing training and 80 percent
offering formal job training.
Whether done in a formal classroom setting or on the job, effective training begins
with a clear goal and a plan for reaching it. Training will fall into one of three major
categories: orientation, which includes explaining company policies and procedures;
job skills, which focuses on how to do specific tasks; and ongoing development,
which enhances the basic job skills and grooms employees for future challenges and
opportunities. The following tips will help maximize your training efforts.

UÑ Find out how people learn best. Delivering training is not a one-size-fits-all propo-
sition. People absorb and process information differently, and your training
method needs to be compatible with their individual preferences. Some people
can read a manual, others prefer a verbal explanation, and still others need to
see a demonstration. In a group-training situation your best strategy is
to use a combination of methods.
When you’re working one-on-one,
tailor your delivery to fit the needs of Stat Fact
the person you’re training. Every $1 million in
Figuring out how employees learn restaurant sales gener-
best can be as simple as asking them. ates 34 jobs for the economy.
But some people may not be able to

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Start Your Own Restaurant and More

tell you how they learn best because

they don’t know themselves. In those Bright Idea
cases, experiment with various train- Use other restaurants as
ing styles, and see what works for the a training tool. Ask your
specific employee. employees to share tips and tech-
UÑ Use simulation and role-playing to train, niques from their own dining-out
experiences. And have your work-
practice, and reinforce. One of the most
ers periodically mystery shop the
effective training techniques is simu- competition with activities such
lation, which involves showing an as calling for reservations and
employee how to do something, then information, just to see how such
allowing him or her to practice it in requests are handled.
a safe, controlled environment. If the
task includes interpersonal skills, let the employee role-play with a co-worker
to practice what he or she should say and do in various situations.
UÑ Be a strong role model. Don’t expect more from your employees than you’re will-
ing to do yourself. You’re a good role model when you do things the way they
should be done, all the time. Don’t take shortcuts you don’t want your employ-
ees to take or behave in any way that you don’t want them to behave. On the
other hand, don’t assume that simply doing things the right way is enough to
teach others how to do things. Role modeling is not a substitute for training;
it reinforces training. If you only use role modeling but never train, employees
aren’t likely to get the message.
UÑ Look for training opportunities. Once you get beyond basic orientation and job
skills training, you’ll need to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to
enhance the skills and performance levels of your people.
UÑ Make it real. Whenever possible, use real-life situations to train—but avoid let-
ting customers know they’ve become a training exercise for employees.
UÑ Anticipate questions. Don’t assume that employees know what to ask. In a new
situation, people often don’t understand enough to formulate
questions. Anticipate their questions
and answer them in advance. Smart Tip
UÑ Ask for feedback. Finally, encourage Training employees—
employees to let you know how you’re even part-time, temporary
doing as a trainer. Just as you evaluate help—in your way of doing
their performance, convince them that things is important. These people
represent your company, and they
it’s OK to tell you the truth. Ask them
need to know how to maintain
what they thought of the training and
the image and standards you’ve
your techniques, and use that infor- worked hard to establish.
mation to improve your own skills.

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