February 19/26, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 18
By Lisbeth Calandrino
I was traveling through Newark Liberty Airport recently and stopped for a bite to eat. I didn’t have much time in between flights and was definitely feeling rushed. By the way, I was on my way to do a presentation for the Mid-Atlantic Floorcovering Association on how to acquire more outside business. (This story kind of emphasizes this.) While I was eating, I heard the server say the credit card machine was not working and they could only take cash. I knew I didn’t have cash on me. When I was at the Albany Airport the ATM machine wasn’t working so I just got on the plane.
I told the server I didn’t have cash and would have to send it to her. She was very sweet and told me not to worry; she didn’t have an address or any alternatives for me. She also didn’t know where the ATM was.
I told her, “I have to worry about it because if no one pays you, that will be the end of the business and your job, and I don’t want that to happen.” I was obviously more worried about it than she was because she told me again not to worry. I finally stood up in the restaurant and explained the problem to anyone who would listen. I said we should try to figure out how to pay them. If we didn’t, the servers wouldn’t have any tips for the day. People clapped and agreed so I left. I found an ATM, I got my money and went back and paid the bill. The server was very thankful, but the problem was not corrected. I know I could have gotten away without paying but that’s stealing. What bothers me is there was obviously no contingency plan in place. Can you imagine the cost ‘per square foot’ for that restaurant?
When I got back to Albany I went to the UPS store. The staff was talking about how they couldn’t get the password to work in their computer and they couldn’t access emails. The discussion was about whether they should call the owner. There was a conversation as to whether or not the owner was out of bed yet. In the meantime, the customers left disgusted.
There are a couple of important issues in both instances. One, there seems to be a lack of communication between the owners and the employees, and how much authority employees should have. An even bigger issue is employees having an understanding about business and customers in general. Employees should understand they are actually entrepreneurs. Taking care of customers and bringing money into the business are their two main jobs. When they do both well, everyone gets paid and the business flourishes. In both instances, the owners seemed to be lacking in their understanding of business.
Motivating people isn’t easy. They have to feel needed and important if they are to take their job and the business seriously. Helping your employees understand their importance the best way to motivate them. The level of authority and responsibility given to employees varies, but they should at least know what to do in an emergency.
Hamburger University was created to train McDonald’s employees in the art of restaurant management. “Everyone who works there must understand that each of them is running a multimillion-dollar business,” said Rob Lauber, vice president and chief learning officer of McDonald’s Restaurant Solutions Group. “So, we want to make sure they have good business grounding.”
Don’t your employees need the same thing?
Lisbeth Calandrino has been promoting retail strategies for the last 20 years. To have her speak at your business or to schedule a consultation, contact her at lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com.
