How much time is devoted to training a food serving team in your community?

 

Recent polls reveal that most senior living communities spend less than two weeks training new employees. A food serving team gains its confidence when they know what their responsibilities are and that they are doing their job with peak performance. To expect good performance it is imperative to provide the best tools-good training and enough of it. Two weeks is not enough time to learn all the multiple skills and details necessary to achieve efficiency in your food servers’ work when you set high standards for your community.

It takes even longer when long-term employees are attempting to acquire different ways to improve the work they have been doing inadequately. After they have accepted new applications into their work habits, a food server may realize that their work has become easier and more efficient. That is the point in retraining and eliminating old habits which no longer work. 

Working in a senior living community not only means the many skills you need to know on a daily basis but incorporating hospitality into the service. Unlike some other foodservice positions, the service in the community varies daily. It’s vital to be at your top form, to know what is expected of you and these are taught in Kind Dining♥ training sessions. It is a challenge that keeps your work interesting and keeps the residents you serve delighted to see you. It is common sense for the company to invest in their employees by presenting good tools (training) to make their work better and results better. It is foolish to waste time and money on seeking new employees because the present employees have been ignored. Good service is the result of good and reinforcing training. It is also the responsibility of the company and for its best interest, to attend to satisfactory wages. The pandemic has bitten into the labor market and you want food servers who are competent, quick to learn in training, reliable, and faithful to the community. Being selective at the hiring stage also keeps from wasting company finances. You want your employees to be content with their job, not checking with other senior living communities for one that will respect them by offering them higher wages. 

Feeling confident, knowing you have built good relationships with the residents you serve, the waitstaff you work alongside, and that you are appreciated in all that you do, creates a food server who loves to come to work every day.   That is who you want as part of your community workforce.

B♥ Kind ®Tip: Practice your Kind Dining skills every day; they will soon come naturally!

About Cindy Heilman

Cindy is the founder and owner of Kind Dining®, which she began in 2006. She’s traveled across the country and Canada working with and training senior living communities that want to create an exceptional dining experience for their residents and staff. In addition, she certifies select professionals in her Kind Dining® philosophy and provides tools, now in an eLearning format, that make learning stick and help people put insights into action. As a result of her work, clients often share their staff has a new sense of purpose, get along better and keep their focus and energy on what matters most. In fact, she wrote a book, Hospitality for Boomers on how to attract residents and keep good team members. In her free time, she enjoys walking Oregon trails and cheering on her favorite soccer teams, the Portland Thorns and Timbers.

Leave a Comment

Friendly reminder: Please protect other people's confidentiality as appropriate. Thank you!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *