How do you handle employees that have developed bad attitudes?
Sadly, even good workers can turn to the dark-side over time. You don’t always see it happening. It’s a slow change that happens over time. Then one day you walk in, and you realize you have a problem. So, what do you do?
One option is to fire the person. A bad attitude can be like poison to the rest of your staff. If left untreated, your entire crew is affected. However, with the economy the way it is, cutting someone loose from your staff is a harsh thing to do. Remember, the person you let go will need to be replaced. You will need to recruit, hire, and train a replacement. That takes time, and depending on the position, there can be a bit of a learning curve before the new person is really holding their own. You need to determine whether or not the worker is salvageable.
Many times, the person is a good worker that has lost their will to be a part of the team. When that happens, you can often turn their attitude around, and get them contributing to the restaurant’s operation. If you catch the problem before it becomes too advanced, it can be a quick and easy adjustment.
One way to do this is to sell him or her on your vision for the restaurant. make sure they understand what it is you are trying to accomplish, and let them know how they fit into that picture. Most of the time, if the person feels like they are important, they will step up and begin to take more pride in their work.
