For all of you shop owners and managers out there, it is important first to understand the responsibilities of a barista and the importance of finding great employees to work in your operation.
Your employees will be making all of your beverages and food items. It is important to hire people that can share the same passion for quality that you as an owner have, for not only your espresso and coffee beverages, but every menu item you serve. Your employees will also be providing customer service to your customers. Having worked in the specialty coffee industry for over a decade as a manager and trainer, I cannot express enough how imperative excellent customer service is in any operation. Right alongside quality in the cup, positive or negative customer service will leave a lasting impression in you customers mind for sometimes hours after they patronize your operation.
Also remember that your employees will be maintaining your store’s appearance, maintaining your costs, and giving you the time to be outside of your operation either administrating your business or marketing.
HIRING EMPLOYEES
If you are a new retailer and plan to hire a group of employees at once, it will be important to host an orientation for new hires to lay down some groundwork and explain the responsibilities each employee has. When hiring a new staff it is often important to hire more people than necessary in the event that someone does not work out or either party involved decides the job is not the right fit for them. As an owner/manager you don’t always want be the one filling bar shifts while also trying to open shop, although working scheduled bar-shifts is something I do recommend.
By creating a detailed employment agreement you will be able to specify to all new employees, the term, termination, job description, mission statement, expectations and compensation guidelines for the life of their employment at your shop. As the employer, it is appropriate for you to establish standard terms and conditions under which you are willing to employ your workers.
With any new hire it is important to implement a 90 day probation period. During this period it is helpful to set some goals for employees to strive for. Along with your ongoing training program, skill building, up-selling, and overall performance should be something a good barista is always striving to elevate.
TRAINING EMPLOYEES
The ideal training environment and procedures will be to have a dedicated espresso machine and trainer, away from your busy cafe routine. I like to train new employees for a least 16 hours before they pull their first shift, and only if it is mutual that they are ready.
Pre-work training should include a review of your policies and procedures, as well as full bar training, beverage preparation, customer service and being cognisant of your overall brand. If you must train on the same machine, and most of us will, do this either during off hours, or slower periods. Working a 10pm training shift with your new hires can be a fun way to bond, and let them know you are extremely dedicated to making sure they are trained. A good (to-be) barista will see the value and appreciate the skills you are providing them with.
Some Training Tips: First, explain the process in depth. Give enough background on why you will be doing things a certain way. Next, demonstrate the process. You may want to do this more than once, explaining each step be it brewing coffee, extracting espresso, steaming milk, or taking an order. This is your chance to be the model example and to set the standard for what you expect of them. Once you have gone through the process you will now ask the employee to demonstrate the process. Let them go through the process and when they are finished, critique with constructive pointers and have them repeat it until they feel comfortable.
I also recommend using education tools whenever available. There are many great books and videos out today that greatly reduce training time and can promote the passion and understanding of the product you want your employees to uphold.
As we all know, training must be on-going. Training is also the key to consistency. If all of your employees are well trained and have a passion for their craft, you should feel comfortable about who you have representing your business. Also you have heard the saying “you are only as strong as your weakest link” ... this is very true and if you focus on the importance of good and consistent training no one variable or employee will adversely affect your business.
Your employees will appreciate having adequate support. They need someone readily available to help when they have questions or encounter problems. As with any type of work, your employees should not feel like they are out there on their own with no one to turn to when they need help. This factor will only benefit employee morale.
It may be easiest to develop a training checklist for all areas of your operation. Along with this checklist and employee manual you will want to develop a training methodology that explains your goals to create a consistent corporate culture within your business, which reflects everyone from the owner, the employees and the customers.
CORPORATE CULTURE
While the word corporate is often something we cringe at as specialty coffee retailers and baristas, it is important to realize that many of our companies exist to satisfy a social need. Profits are not the only goal, but are a byproduct of meeting the needs of your customers and employees. I feel that all businesses have a responsibility to give back to the communities in which they operate. In the specialty coffee industry as we should strive to educate our customers about specialty coffees and we often are able to influence buying practices, which in return have a global effect. Great employees like to take pride in their work and deliver quality products, while continuing to learn and grow professionally. Having a good corporate culture enables employees to combine their strengths to meet these mutual needs as part of a dynamic team.
Your company’s culture again starts with your mission statement and values, which should be well thought-out and articulated in writing. While this mission statement is often developed by the coffee shop owner, it is important to solicit input from your key employees too and should accurately reflect your business philosophy. As an owner you must set the standard for your employees. In the coffee industry I have seen some of the most successful coffee roasters and retailers implementing their own corporate culture within their companies, and have been able to create some very desirable places to work.
RETAINING EMPLOYEES
COMPENSATION
What often comes to mind when one thinks of why employees stay at on cafe is monetary compensation, but there is so much more involved in keeping your best employees.
A performance-based compensation plan should be designed to encourage your employees to do their best and also to make sure they behave in a way that will promote business growth, profitability, quality service and efficiency behind the bar. To attract great employees, you will need to offer a base pay and earnings potential that is equal to or better than other coffee shops in your area. This pay plan must also be objective and fair to all of your employees to ensure morale, but will be ultimately based on performance and responsibility.
In a coffee shop you want to encourage teamwork and a fair pay plan can help accomplish this, along with the sharing of employee tips. In our industry tips are a considerable part of a baristas wage, and in many cases are directly related to an employees performance. I generally have let my past employees figure out their preferred way of splitting tips, but you will want to first consult your local department of labor.
BENEFITS
It is smart to provide whatever benefits you can that will put you in a better competitive position to attract and retain employees. Now as a start-up retailer, and being tagged as a food service operation, full health benefits may not be feasible right away. However, a small company group health plan may be within reach given the age of your employees, and cost will depend on your provider. Giving your employees access to, or at least the option to obtain health insurance can be a great way to retain those employees who are looking to make coffee their career. A shop owner may also look to professional industry associations, or for example credit unions that may offer membership eligibility for coverage.
There are other benefits outside of the traditional kind, it just takes some creativity. Beyond the usual employee discounts, providing small perks like movie tickets, gift certificates, or here in Portland, the occasional tattoo appointment, can really help make your employees appreciate their jobs.
PRAISE & RECOGNITION
There have been numerous studies done and I completely agree from my experience that money is not always the primary motivator for most employees. It is important to recognize your employees for good work, and they will often repeat the performance. When you have the chance give an employee praise in front of a customer, or in a staff meeting. Also, give credit where credit is due and reinforce excellent performance. You can look for key measures to recognize your baristas such as great latte art, a clean work area, great customer service or handling a rush well. There is nothing better than getting off work after a long bar shift and having your boss tell you that you kicked ass today!
It is easy to come up with contests to recognize your staff, such as a weekend day latte art contest, creative cupping notes, barista of the month award and other achievements. Instead of money, give recognition certificates, plaques, a new tamper, a viva barista t-shirt :), or again sport or event tickets or dinner for two at a local restaurant. Giving something tangible makes a longer lasting impression in my opinion than a twenty.
By engaging your employees in your day to day business decision-making you can give them the authority to act in your coffeeshops best interest. With the right training, you can trust your employees to make the right decisions in your absence if there is a customer, or operational problem. Also, do not criticize employee mistakes, rather use an honest mistake as a way to improve a baristas performance. No one is perfect and the last thing you want is an employee who is afraid to make a decision on their own. As an owner, nothing is more gratifying than seeing your employees build their skills behind the bar, but also to make sound decisions that are in the best interest of your business.
The overall goal is to encourage employee behaviors that build your business and to recognize your baristas that are practicing these behaviors often.
Your baristas will enjoy working in an environment that is fun, and with people they enjoy being around. Encourage and maybe organize events outside of your work, like a movie, or rock concert, where your employees and you can attend. If you don’t feel comfortable breaking the ice outside of work, maybe look for one key employee who can assume this role.
In conclusion, motivating and retaining great employees requires strong leadership and effective management skills. Providing your employees with the right tools and support is key. Developing and sticking to a training methodology and well thought out performance based compensation plan will help encourage all employees to help build your business. A positive corporate culture and work environment will prove to be more desirable than monetary income to almost any good employee.
As a coffee shop owner or manager it is your responsibility to provide recognition and good communication to our staff. Doing all these things will help you create that harmonious team that every employer dreams of, working not only for themselves, but also the benefit of your customers and your company.
Let face it, most of us work in the coffee industry because it is fun, and we love interacting with people and serving an outstanding product. Ultimately, the management and leadership skills and efforts will determine your success in providing an atmosphere where your employees and customers will be motivated to work efficiently and will remain loyal to your company. Your goal is to create and retain a team that you can be proud of and this team will then take pride in their work, and your operation. Viva Barista!
