National Culinary Review

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“We also encourage our staff to take advantage of the hospital’s tuition reimbursement program to further their careers elsewhere in the facility,” McLymont says. “It’s an encouragement for retaining staff, even though they may eventually move on to another department. I always try to encourage people with passion, and to mentor and train those I see are interested in moving forward within the department.” Individual letters of commendation, signed by McLymont, are presented publicly to staffers who go over and above, as many did by coming to work during the winter 2010-2011 blizzards.

More recently, employees received new
uniforms. “It changes the look and gives
the environment a facelift, too,” McLymont
says. “It makes employees feel good about
themselves and where they work.”
really important is that it’s an exciting and
gratifying place to work,” Sherman says. “The
philosophy here is about teaching people
about food, supporting farmers, ranchers and
fisheries and being mindful of consumers. It’s
about feeling the work you do is supporting
the right things—even when the work is hard
or challenging. It makes it absolutely the right
thing to do.”
When interviewing potential floor staff,
beyond basic capabilities the skills
Sherman is looking for are intangible. She
wants people who are “passionate about
something, although not necessarily food-
related.” In fact, the current staff of bussers
includes a core group of musicians (now in
their 20s) originally hired when they were
members of the Berkeley High School Jazz
Band. Plus, a group of reservationists have
formed a band. Staff parties feature lots of
music, Sherman says.

THE MICROMANAGEMENT FACTOR

Your employees know they’re right for the job. They have the requisite skills and some good ideas that could make the operation even better—but you’re in the way.

That’s not such an unusual scenario, according to Vivian Scott, a former Microsoft marketing manager who is a certified mediator based in Snohomish, Wash. Author of Conflict Resolution at Work for Dummies (Wiley Publishing, 2009), Scott finds that when micromanagement is a problem, it becomes the No.1 reason people quit their jobs.

A major key to avoiding it is providing a clear job description, and then hiring someone for that job, not the one you’ve creatively made up with flowery words. “Take the time to give someone credit that they’ll turn the job down if it’s not right for them. But they need to be able to make an informed decision based on a clear job description,” Scott advises.

SUPPORTING THE RIGHT THING Jennifer Sherman has been general manager for the past three years at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Like many of the restaurant’s employees, she’ll tell you the place is run like a family. “I cooked here for about nine years during the 1990s, then returned to work with Alice [Waters] on special events,” Sherman says. “We absolutely make business decisions geared to keep employees here.”

A FINE BALANCE

From a business perspective, for Chez Panisse to be closed on Sundays when brunch could be a substantial addition to the bottom line might not seem like a savvy decision. “But we felt the staff needed the day with their families,” Sherman explains. “As a result, we get the benefit of well-rested employees with good work/life balance who come to the job with energy.”

The good pay—a much higher hourly
rate than the industry average, Sherman
reports—as well as comprehensive
healthcare coverage and 401K participation
is actually the “besides that” part. “What’s
Working for an enterprise with the
philosophy of sustainability as its driving
force keeps employees wanting to be
involved. Restaurant staff members are
required, as part of their training, to take
a paid field trip to the Edible Schoolyard,
the Chez Panisse Foundation program

Once you’ve hired—and perhaps trained—the right person for the job, “there’s little need for micromanagement,” she says. “Employees want to do their jobs. They value being recognized for doing the job and contributing an idea, making the customer happier, suggesting how to streamline a process, etc. But if you’re in the way, micromanaging, they can’t contribute as they’d wish.