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A successful restaurant is only as successful as the employees which man the helm. It is the reason why you take your time when hiring the employees you will depend on every day to run your operation. The problem is that even after an exhausting interviewing process, you can end up with an employee who is simply not living up to the standards which you have expected. In more cases, the employees that you are having problems with are those who have been a part of the restaurant for a long period of time. It can be difficult to make the decision to let someone go.

As difficult as it can be at times to let someone go, it is ultimately important to have the ability to make such a decision. After all, the future of the restaurant hangs in the balance of your ability to make such a command decision. There are a few things you can use in order to make sure that you are making the right decision in the choice that you have made to let someone go. You should have a clear-cut policy which will lead up to termination. Evaluating the usefulness of the employee is something which may also enter the equation. The effect of the employee on other employees and on return customers should also play a factor.

Creating a Termination Policy

One of the easiest ways to know about when it is time to let someone go is to set up a clear-cut termination policy. Include the effects of being late or trying to cheat hours from the time and attendance systems, and if you are having trouble finding a pre-qualified vendor for such a system, you can use services such as B2B lead generation. The important thing to remember here is that it is entirely possible that you will have to let go employees that you really like and are really good for your company if they are found to be in violation of your policies so as not to be unfair to the rest of the employees.

Evaluating Usefulness

If you opt to not employ the use of a termination policy, you will need to be able to evaluate the usefulness an employee has at all times. Employees who are not pulling their weight will do nothing but drag your company down. If they do not know how to do their job, they will cause the rest of the staff nothing but trouble in the long run. There are few processes you can take, as an owner to establish more rigid management; time card software will make sure that employees are checking in and out at their designated times.

Effect on Employees and Guests

An employee’s ability to work well with the rest of the staff is always an important determining factor in whether or not they should remain employed with your business. In addition to the way that they interact with the rest of the staff, interactions with the guests should be taken into consideration. Often restaurants will keep on employees who are less then team players as long as they have the ability to draw in regular clientele. Having am unruly mascot is better than having an employee who behaves and still cannot generate income for your restaurant.


This Business article was written by Shannon Suetos on 1/19/2011

Shannon Suetos is the online editor at Resource Nation. She writes expert advice for small businesses and entrepreneurs.