How To Handle Restaurant Discipline Issues

Even in the best run restaurants, there will occasionally be discipline issues that arise. When you find that employees are not performing as expected, it is important to act consistently, and promptly. When a relatively minor issue is allowed to grow and fester, it can affect morale of the other employees and can even result in loss of business. In worst case scenarios, failed discipline can result in safety issues or even legal action against the restaurant.

Before you can work on discipline problems, your employees must know what is expected of them. There must be a standard of behavior or performance against which the actions are measured. Even if you think about behavior that should be obvious to most people, your problem employee may not be aware of the issue. If, for example, off-color comments or foul language is part of the vocabulary of an employee, they must be informed that such comments are unacceptable.

Standards and expectations about what is acceptable and what is out-of-line should be consistent across the entire employee roster and work environment. A particular dress code, if stated, must be followed by every employee. This leads to a less stressful workplace for everyone. There is no effort to push boundaries because of lack of knowledge.

The employee should be encouraged to participate in restaurant training sessions, either at the work place our outside the workplace. For example, failure to perform a specific part of the job correctly should become a discipline issue until the employee has been trained in the correct way to do the task. Training can be formal or can simply be in the form of a regular performance review.

Part of identification of correct standards is setting up a progressive statement of penalties for failure to meet standards. A plan for correcting unwelcome behavior presented in a tactful and positive way has the benefit of salvaging the training efforts already expended on a specific employee. Many employees who start out with rough edges can be trained and counseled to become an asset to the employer.

In every case of restaurant discipline problems, it is important to approach it with the idea of preventing legal, health and safety issues. Additionally, you want to avoid employee behavior to drive away customers. Identify the expected behavior and train the employee in how that behavior is to be displayed. When there are continued issues with a specific employee, follow a plan of progressive penalty. Your goal should be to salvage a marginal employee, rather than eliminating him or her.