Thanksgiving is the unofficial start of the holiday season, full of family and friends, group gatherings, and sharing gratitude with others. Restaurant operators have the opportunity to drive traffic through the holidays, but that often means taking staff away from their own family gatherings to serve busy holiday dining rooms.

Manage motivation

Balancing increased traffic and efficiently managing labour may mean calling on staff to work longer hours, come in on requested days off, or cover for others during the holidays. If your restaurant is a place people want to work, it will be much easier to motivate them to jump in to help when they’re needed. When staff feel supported and happy, research shows their productivity can increase anywhere from 13 to 31 per cent, and that benefits your business.

Try and be as flexible and thoughtful as you can with scheduling by rotating coverage to allow for people to spend time with their families. When staff sees that you are willing to accommodate them they may be more willing to accommodate the needs of the business.

Can you sweeten the deal even further by incentivizing staff to work busy holiday shifts? Increased hourly pay for the day, gift cards, extra days off, or even a completely free staff meal while on shift may be enough to convince your already happy staff to give up a few hours to help out if you need them, while showing them you value their contribution. It’s a win-win!

Celebrate your staff

Part of creating a positive culture means making your staff feel appreciated and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to celebrate how lucky you are for the team you have. Here are some ideas for showing your team the love this holiday season:

• Something as simple as offering verbal recognition of a job well done can let your team know that you see and appreciate their efforts.
• Getting teams to recognize each other is also a great way to support teams. Set up a gratitude board where managers and peers can post notes highlighting what they appreciate about one another.
• Pick a slow day after the holiday rush, close the restaurant early, and host a private party or catered meal for the team where you can just enjoy each other’s company.
• Get your teams giving back. Working towards a common goal like fundraising, raising awareness, or helping out with a community project helps staff members bond, share common interests, and build bonds.

Holiday season is a busy time for operators, but don’t forget through all the hustle and bustle, that your teams are right there with you, serving your customers and building your business.