Training Articles (formerly Member Blog)

It seems like mere moments ago that Calvin Banks departed the stage at the end of the awards banquet at CHART’s 88th Hospitality Training Conference in Atlanta last July, ending his term as President of the organization and handing the reins over to me. But it’s been almost a year since that event took place, and what a year it’s been! Since that time we have launched a popular new educational webinar series, created a new CHART position to oversee the trainer competency program and our educational platform, developed new vision and mission statements to better reflect the evolution of CHART’s position in the hospitality industry, and grew our ranks to just under 500 members (and we’re still hoping to hit that total by the end of the month).

Smart organizations proactively build retention and momentum into the orientation and onboarding process “Today, more than ever, if a company is bleeding people, it is bleeding value.” —Marcus Buckingham Last month, this column examined the essential best practices of recruiting and attracting high-performing foodservice managers and crew. This month, let’s take a deeper dive into the next step of the process: Successfully hiring and transitioning new employees onto the team.

According to statistics gathered by the National Restaurant Association, the hospitality industry experienced its fourth consecutive year of rising turnover in 2014. At 66.3%, we are 20% higher than other industries, and quick service is a nightmarish 140%. While the recent recession years saw an all-time low, associates are no longer hesitant to take flight if they are unhappy and unengaged.

“What’s next?” That’s what Colby Hutchinson of Best Western International asked the other attendees at our CHART T3 conference in Napa earlier this year when receiving his pin for completing all twelve of the sessions in our Hospitality Training Competency Program. Although it was a years-long process for him to participate in the different workshops, Colby was already looking toward the future and wondering about new challenges he could tackle in his quest for lifelong learning. “What’s next” is an important question that we must all consider from time to time, and one especially pertinent to me as I wrap up my year as the President of this amazing organization.

I have participated in many interviews during my 20-plus years in the world of hospitality, and it’s not always easy to determine if someone is going to be a great addition to your team. Based on my experiences, however, I do know that using the seven interviewing strategies below will help you find the best possible employees to represent your brand.

Millennials are much more productive than they are given credit for. They are highly engaged in any meaningful work that aligns with their passions, and are socially conscious and loyal to organizations that value a culture of caring. Being the first generation to grow up with computers in their homes, millennials are technologically proficient and inherently effective networkers and communicators of your brand, making them natural recruiters of top talent.

Ok that didn't really rhyme, but when you have this many Regional Training Forums (RTFs), WHO CARES!!! CHART New Orleans is only two months away, but you don't have to wait until then to experience our unique brand of learning, sharing, growing and caring. There are FIVE RTFs happening in the month of May. If you're in Dallas, Southern California, Northern California, Orlando or Washington DC this month, mark your calendar and stop on into one of our RTFs!

How do you measure the quality of a hotel? For some people, it has to do with the physical elements of the property: spacious guest rooms, lavish decor, or thick walls to keep noise at a minimum. For others, it has to do with the amenities: luxurious linens on the beds, 24-hour room service to cater to their every whim, or an upscale spa where they can melt away their cares. And for some guests, it has to do with the location; they want something that will be within walking distance to a city’s stores, restaurants, and nightlife.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a widely recognized standard in benchmarking “intent to recommend” and an effective way to evaluate guest feedback and engage in meaningful dialogue about areas of improvement. Have you ever considered taking NPS into the evaluation of your training? If not, I suggest that you do. This simple step has the ability to better align training with business objectives and give employees a voice in creating meaningful improvements in training.

Two years ago I posted a blog on the CHART site titled, If I Had to Choose Just Three, in which I wrote about the three books that I couldn’t live without as a hospitality trainer. I still refer to all three of these books today and use them very regularly in my job as Director of Training for Ivar’s Restaurants

Is your field personnel stuck waiting on a broken escalator? In Atlanta, I shared how and why you should teach your field managers to get RIPd - rapid improvement programs. Training is operations and operations is training. It is key that you put together tools for them to use which will then improve profits, sales & people performance/retention

Move beyond Social Media to Social Reality. In Doug Busk's CHARTtalks session at our Atlanta conference, he shared that consumers are now providing you feedback directly and expect someone to be listening and responding to their compliments and complaints