From the category archives:

Employee Management

Facebook changes Privacy Settings – again!

The only thing consistent about Facebook is that it keeps changing! An important ‘behind the scenes’ feature is the privacy setting, so only approved friends see your personal information, and you can use Pages and marketing features with confidence. Watch this short video to see the changes, and what you should check.

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How To Be More Likable – one for the noticeboard

Plenty of great ideas (and reminders) to think about on this long poster – great for management and staff. For a full-size version to print and share, go here…

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29 Ways to Stay Creative

Life is so busy, and it’s easy to forget how much pleasure there is in creating new food, drinks and experiences for customers (and for ourselves). Here’s a quick reminder of how to keep the spirit alive…

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Different types of friendship – how do we encourage them in restaurants, bars and cafes?

In this short video, two speakers briefly define ‘friendship’. We’re in the business of creating friendly, hospitable spaces where, in many cases, friendships can begin or grow stronger. It also serves us to have staff who have strong bonds of friendship with each other…in fact ‘I have a best friend at work’ is one of [...]

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Stop Smoking, Start Repairing Your Body – Great Posters for the Staff Noticeboard

Apparently 40% of US culinary workers smoke – twice the US average. It’s likely to be just as high in other western countries, so we’ve got a third-world size problem on our hands. This Australian poster is currently having lots of exposure, and combines hope, fear and the promise of a better life. Why not [...]

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Employee mentoring, coaching and career-building – it may be easier than you think

Everyone likes the idea of helping staff to build careers, live healthy, happy lives and handle finances wisely. But then we get busy, and even 10 minute of ‘extra time’ is too hard. Others feel this is for school and family: young people who start work should be ‘job ready’. Maybe, but often the adult [...]

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How to Give Critical Feedback to Staff – when it’s time for the ‘Big Talk’

Remember the first time you sacked someone? I sure do, and it wasn’t pretty. I wish I’d known how to give progressive, constructive feedback before the situation was so far gone – lots of people are hurt when this is handled badly. Most managers would rather run a mile, but discipline interviews are an essential [...]

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Mental health at work – what do managers need to know?

Whether it’s depression, anxiety, drug & alcohol issues… or just someone who is ‘hard to like’, there are plenty of ways that mental health issues affect the workplace. Thanks to Penelope Trunk, one of my favourite bloggers for her reminder that it’s always a good time to raise this issue. And as colleague Nick Meiers [...]

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New Posterous Groups: a great option for a restaurant, bar or hotel staff & customers

The new Posterous Groups builds on the super-simple Posterous blogging system (here’s how I use Posterous as a blog) and offers a way to create a private group for staff or customers to share ideas, photos or activities. Everyone likes the idea of offering a forum, in principle, but the two big challenges are 1. [...]

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A sure-fire way to build the self-esteem of a team member

Here’s a shortcut: work on building their computer skills – on a PC or Mac, or even on ways to use a smartphone more effectively eg checking email on a phone. It’s surprising how many staff at all levels can’t use Word or Excel beyond type-writer level, or manage basic functions on a PC like [...]

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