Building a strong team is critical to the success of a restaurant, bar, or any business. While it’s normal for employees to sometimes hit a lull in productivity, there are some supporting activities that a manager can implement to boost engagement and strike motivation within the ranks.
(more…)While email is a great tool both personally and professionally, it also poses one of the greatest threats to your business. Bad actors can use a variety of email scams such as ransomware, phishing, and a variety of other tools to not only disrupt personal computers, but also business technologies while gaining access to personal or business information that would be harmful for the outside world to have.
(more…)Handling electronic data is an unavoidable part of operating any business today, but what would happen to your restaurant if that sensitive information was the target of a cyberattack? We tend to remember big, scandalous data breaches like Equifax or Sony, but that’s only because they are highly publicized. In reality, an estimated 90% of cyberattacks affect small businesses and the average cost of one is $116,967. Couple that with loss of customer trust and suddenly it’s no surprise that 60% of small businesses go out of business within 6 months of a data breach.
(more…)It’s about that time — as baby boomers begin to decrease their involvement in day-to-day operations and step away from their businesses, the big question arises: who will take over the reins? Considering nearly 10,000 baby boomers retire per day in the US, this decision is becoming more and more commonplace. Having a comprehensive succession plan in place for your small business will ease these major transitions so that the business doesn’t suffer.
(more…)You’ve heard of it, and keep putting it off—but a distracted driving policy could save your business thousands. Not only can distracted driving result in high-cost consequences, but it’s also extremely dangerous. If your employees are distracted while they’re driving it can be a threat to everyone else on the road. On average, distracted driving cost employers $72,442 per non-fatal accident and about $4.3 billion total. As an employer, it’s important to create a culture of safety that focuses on preventing distracted driving by establishing a distracted driving policy.
(more…)The landscape of human resources is changing rapidly. With the explosion of social media and sites like Glassdoor, people can comment on their experiences with your recruitment and employment process. Try to think of candidates that you interview as customers: if they had a negative experience, would they likely do business with you? Would they reapply? Their opinion will matter. Throughout the whole recruitment process, from the initial phone screen to the interview stage, recruiters should inform candidates of what they should expect next in the recruitment process. Now, it’s time to inform the candidate that they did not get the job. What do you do?
(more…)Solid fuel cooking has been an up-and-coming trend for many new restaurants because it’s a tasty way to prepare food – especially pizza and BBQ. These cooking appliances are fueled by a solid fuel such as mesquite, charcoal and hardwood; and while this cooking method yields different, interesting flavors, it also carries with it increased safety risks. With the right amount of understanding and preparation, restaurant owners can safely use most solid fuel appliances.
Before you serve your first customer, your business is at great risk and liability. Thankfully, there are many insurance options to help businesses protect their livelihood. Below are critical types of insurance that restaurants and bars should consider to protect their financial investment.
I recently worked with fellow team members developing and presenting a stretching webinar. We needed to get the word out on the benefits of stretching at work and in our personal lives. Stretching is good for all walks of life including restaurant, hotel, factory, and construction workers. I decided to “practice what I preach” and made a conscious effort to stretch throughout the day. It helped make snow shoveling more tolerable this winter. And it even improved my sleep. I stretch before going to sleep every night and find myself more relaxed and sleeping better. Try it for yourself; you’ll be surprised at the results!
(more…)Don’t wait until warmer weather (especially in the Midwest) to develop meaningful working relationships within your organization. As a new generation captures key leadership positions, greater emphasis is placed on collaboration in the workplace. Working as individuals can only get the company so far. By working in teams, individuals can put their brains together to solve complex problems, exchange original ideas, and improve their overall work. Are you adapting your indoor team-building activities to suit these different set of behaviors, values and demands?
Below are four indoor team building activities you can begin right away to foster internal bonding within your organization.
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