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10 www.ohiorestaurant.org Summer 2012 Issue

In fact, the EEOC receives more than 90,000 charges of discrimination annually, according to recent data from the EEOC’s Offce of Information, Resources and Planning. Yet, the EEOC is judicious in its investigations and approximately 1 percent of these complaints lead to a lawsuit being fled.

To reduce your chances of falling victim to an EEOC complaint:

• Implement formal human resources practices. While you may be a small business, it isn’t overly cautious to sit down with your counsel and have them help you establish sound on-boarding, promotion and off-boarding policies. Never forget: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

• Keep clean, accurate documentation of any interaction you have based on human resources policies. It is important for you that you have employees sign any documents highlighting company policies in order to indicate that they are aware of them. Additionally, you should encourage them to come to you should they have a concern so it can be addressed and documented. Employees who violate policies should be informed of what they did wrong both verbally and in writing. Should termination be necessary, the proper documentation of violations will protect you and your business.

• Lead by example. Company policies are only strong and followed if employees see everyone abiding by them. This

includes management and anyone in a position of leadership. Should leaders fail to follow the rules, crew members will internalize what they see and begin taking shortcuts or failing to behave under the standards that the company claims to enforce. Remember – if you behave as you’ve told them to behave, they will view you with respect and emulate your behavior. This is something your management staff must also practice.

• Maintain a respectful distance. While society has removed many of the barriers between people, whether through social media, mobile texting capabilities or fewer structural guidelines, employees who fail to recognize you as a leader can easily begin to negate your role and the instruction you provide. By setting clean, clear guidelines between personal and private life, you will establish basic and necessary barriers between your crew members and management – a necessary step to keep your operations running smoothly.

To learn more about the EEOC and ways to remain complaint, visit the commission’s website at:

http://www.eeoc.gov/.

Five Tips to Reduce Turnover

Utilize these methods from CareerBuilder to ensure you retain the strongest amongst your staff

Voluntary turnover was higher last year than in 2010, partly because of the economic recovery, according to Career-Builder’s 2012 Job Forecast.

Although employers plan to offer incentives to retain their best talent, it takes more than high salaries and attractive benefts to build a passionate workforce.

Find out how some restaurant owners boost retention:

1. Hire people who want to be there. “The best thing we can do to combat high turnover is to ensure that our hiring process focuses on hospitality-minded individuals,” says Michael Inwald, president and founder of Cheeseboy: Grilled Cheese To Go. “It is incredibly diffcult to coach someone into developing a passion for food and customer service.”

2. Confront problems at the right time.

Jeff Flancer, owner of Flancer’s Restaurant in Gilbert and Mesa, Ariz., says there is a right and wrong time for confrontation. “Employees don’t need to be rattled before or even during the shift. After the rush, that’s when you can compliment and correct employee behavior.”

3. Build a culture of collaboration. Glenn D’Amore, who oversees 15 Silver Diner stores in the Washington, D.C., region, says management isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. “No job can be beneath somebody,” he says. “If the cooks need help, we’ll help cook. If the dishwasher needs help, we’ll wash dishes. This is how respect is built.”

4. Praise frst, criticize second.

People love to hear they’re doing a good job, and they’re much more open to receiving feedback if you frst point out what they do well.

5. Promote from within.

Workers will be more loyal and want to stay around if they feel there are opportunities to move up. Nearly 80 percent of Silver Diner managers worked their way up within the company, D’Amore says. However, before you promote from within, you need to prepare workers and train them to take on more duties, he says.

This content was provided by National Restaurant Association (NRA) Partner CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder and its niche restaurant website, JobsOnTheMenu. com, provide NRA members access to the best talent at a cost effective price. Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA) restaurant members, who enjoy dual membership in the ORA and the NRA, should call (877) 513-4867 to learn more about special pricing opportunities available to them.