WASHINGTON —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Winners, presented by Nation’s Restaurant News and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and sponsored by The Coca-Cola Co., were: Morton’s The Steakhouse, an 84-unit fine-dining chain; Carino’s Italian, a 160-unit full-service chain; Qdoba Mexican Grill, a 400-unit fast-casual chain; and Sodexo, a foodservice management company with about 6,000 U.S. clients. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Jim Sullivan, chief executive of
Co-presenter Linda Bacin, chairman of the NRAEF’s board of trustees, said, “As all of you are aware, recruiting, training and retaining a qualified and satisfied workforce is one of the greatest challenges we face as operators, and the SPIRIT Awards provide the opportunity to recognize those companies who are going above and beyond in their efforts toward this goal.” —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Kate Shehan, vice president of human resources for Morton’s, said the Chicago-based company’s many recruitment, recognition and retention programs have helped to reduce hourly turnover to 38.85 percent and management turnover to 15.95 percent. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
“We are working to make that even lower,” she said in remarks during the panel discussion. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Beginning with recruitment, she noted that about half of successful new hires have been referrals from employees, thanks to an incentive program. Once on board, employees receive ongoing training, even long after they join Morton’s. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Morton’s offers several professional development programs for all employment levels, Shehan said. Optional programs enable those interested to learn everything from better English skills to how to qualify to take certified sommelier testing. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Rodney Morris, senior vice president of human resources for Carino’s, said all of the company’s human resources programs are aimed at achieving the goal of exceeding guest expectations every time. Austin, Texas-based Fired Up Inc. owns Carino’s. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Qdoba’s Mike Speck, vice president of human resources and training for the Wheat Ridge, Colo.-based chain, noted that the Mexican fast-casual brand met its goals in its last fiscal year of reducing management turnover to less than 30 percent and hourly turnover to less than 100 percent. Qdoba surpassed those goals while simultaneously growing a lot of new restaurants, he said. San Diego-based Jack in the Box Inc. owns Qdoba. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Speck credited the lowered turnover to “the core elements of taking care of people and getting to know them,” as well as being able to quickly assess potential employees’ strengths and weaknesses. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Once hired, new employees are introduced to Qdoba’s career map so they can start working toward goals, he said. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Arie Ball, vice president of talent acquisition at Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexo, which employs 350,000 people in 80 countries, outlined the company’s multipronged recruitment approach. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
“It’s critical to our success that we have the right people,” she said. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
An emphasis on attracting young Generation Y employees uses about a half-dozen social-networking websites, such as My Space and Facebook, which job seekers are likely to check for career information. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Sodexo also builds diversity recruitment into all of its efforts, said Ball, whose responsibilities include recruiting exempt staff. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
The company also stays connected with former employees who may be interested in returning, as well as with recent retirees who could stay on part-time or temporarily, she said. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Three mentoring programs have been formalized, as has a flexibility initiative, which holds special appeal for Generation Y. In the latter case, employees who want a nontraditional work schedule propose how the work would get done in their absence, she said. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Moderator Dina Berta, human resources editor for Nation’s Restaurant News, asked panelists what they would change about their past training and development programs. Carino’s Morris said his company has grown more selective in hiring practices, and Qdoba’s Speck agreed that it’s necessary today to screen applicants more thoroughly than ever to be sure they’re qualified. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Panelists also agreed that they need to be as concerned today about turnover as they always have been, saying that issue is the one that keeps them up at night. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
An audience member asked if this is a good time to “get rid of the bottom performers” in light of budget-tightening needs. Several respondents said that today is no different than any other time, regardless of the economy. —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
“Having a $90-a-head check puts high expectations on us,” said Morton’s Shehan. “We always talk about our performance. We address it if someone isn’t performing. No one is surprised by the time they get the termination.” —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.
Economy, politics take center stage at confab —A relentless dedication to hiring, developing and rewarding the right people is the way to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover in any economy, said recipients of the 2008 SPIRIT Awards during the recent Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here.