Monica's Hospitality Tips on the importance of getting to know your staff

1. W
e spend a lot of
time finding out
about our guests
so that we can create
memorable experiences for them.
Some of us even use Google, social
media and LinkedIn to find out more
about them, so that we can keep our
guest profiles up to date. Although how
much do you really know about one of
your greatest assets – your own staff?
When recruiting staff it is not
uncommon for managers to do some
pre checks on their staff which may
involve looking at their social media
accounts, however once employed, if
you are not careful they just become
another highly trained service
professional. As we make our guest
experiences more personal, we should
LIGHTING
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR STAFF?
MONICA’S HOSPITALITY TIPS
be doing the same thing for our staff.
Sometimes we forget that our
internal customers are just as
important as our external customers,
so here are some top tips on how to get
to know your staff better:
• Have a wall with photos and
names of your employees in
your different back of house
departmental areas, add a fun fact
about each person such as their
hobby
• Mentor your employees – this
gives a different dynamic to your
relationship
• Work alongside them and involve
them in special projects
• Find out one thing each day about
as many employees as you can
• Have lunch with them
• Get your employees to share
3 new facts about one of their
colleagues at your next staff
meeting
• Have regular social events for
your staff
• If you have newsletter – profile an
employee in this
• Celebrate important events
with them such as a birthday or
anniversary
The importance of knowing your
staff as well as your customers cannot
be underestimated. As you work hard
to have loyal guests you also need to
remember the more you invest in your
staff the longer they will stay with you.
So who on your team has a birthday
today?
Monica Or is founder of Star
Quality Hospitality Consultancy.
September 2019 | BOUTIQUE HOTELIER 39
ADVICE