Have you ever heard yourself or one of your manages saying “why hasn’t someone put this away?!” It is all too common for tasks to be dismissed when nobody is personally responsible and accountable for the task being completed.
All tasks no matter how big or small need to be allocated to somebody. Regardless of whether you only have two staff or thirty staff each task within your café or restaurant needs to be allocated. When staff know they have a responsibility which is a measure of their job performance things just get done. There is no talk of “I thought so and so would do it…”
The best way to begin the process of allocating duties is dividing your business operations in separate areas and establishing where your staff strengths lie. Allocate tasks within an area to the person most likely to excel at those tasks. My rule of thumb with all of my staff is this: “I don’t care if you complete the task or somebody else does, but it not being completed at the time required will be entirely your problem, and you will be the person I will be speaking with.”
It can be all too easy employing staff in general areas within your café like a cook, a kitchen hand or a waiter, but job descriptions need to be more specific than serve customers or prepare breakfast dishes. They need to include what seem like trivial items like: empty all bins in kitchen at the completion of your shift, or back-flush coffee machine every evening and restock sugars coffee cup lids and napkins. A general job description such as maintain your work area is far too general.
I personally have general job descriptions issued at the time contracts are signed by employees, and at the time of their induction I have my managers allocate very specific responsibilities to each staff member. It’s important to take advantage of new staff, as at the early stages of their employment staff appear to comprehend more clearly and retain information like expectations much better. Perhaps the topic of another post at another time.
Allocate even the smallest tasks in your café and the daily running and maintenance of your café or restaurant will become much easier to manage.
