Food service staffing

Staffing consideration

• Peak service times and customer volume

• Skill mix and cross-training needs

• Food safety and regulatory requirements

• Labor cost control and productivity

• Employee retention and training

Impact of effective staffing

• Faster service and improved customer satisfaction

• Consistent food quality

• Reduced waste and labor costs

• Safer, more organized work environment

Hiring process

• Plan & Analyze Staffing Needs

  • Identify position to be filled (Job Analysis)

  • Define job duties and responsibilities (Job Description)

  • Determine required skills, experience, & certifications (Job Specification)

  • Assess schedule needs (full-time, part-time, seasonal)

  • Align staffing needs with service volume and budget

Job analysis

identify position to be filled (ex. line cook)

Job description

define job duties and responsibilities (ex. prepare hot menu items, maintain food safety standards)

Job specification

basic cooking experience, knowledge of safe food handling, ability to work in a fast paced environment, food safety certification if required

Recruitment strategy

• Create clear job description and expectations

• Select recruitment channels (online job boards, referrals, local postings)

• Promote opportunities internally when possible

• Ensure equal opportunity and fair hiring practices

Roles of food service managers

• Hire, train, oversee and fire employees

• Order food and beverages. Schedule deliveries.

• Oversee food preparation

• Inspect supplies

• Meet health and food safety standards

• Address complaints

• Schedule staff

• Payroll records

HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control point)

• a science-based system that identifies specific hazards for food safety

• a framework for training and food safety procedures

• helps ensure safe food production and handling

• can assist health inspectors and regulatory authorities during inspections

Purpose of HACCP system

• developed originally for the space program to ensure absolute safety of astronaut food.

• focuses on prevention rather than end-product inspection.

7 principles of HACCP

1. Conduct a hazard analysis.

2. Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs).

3. Establish critical limits.

4. Establish monitoring procedures.

5. Establish corrective actions.

6. Establish verification procedures.

7. Establish record-keeping and documentation.

Hazard categories

• Biological: Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi.

• Chemical: Cleaners, sanitizers, toxic metals.

• Physical: Glass, metal shards, hair, dirt

Critical control points (CCPs)

a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard to an acceptable level

Critical limits

maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical hazard must be controlled at a CCP to prevent,eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level

Monitoring procedures

planned sequence of observations or measurements to assess whether a CCP is under control

Corrective actions

procedures followed when a critical limit is not met (e.g., discarding food held in the danger zone, re-cooking)

Verification and record keeping

• Verification: Activities other than monitoring that determine the validity of the HACCP plan.

• Record-Keeping: Maintaining logs of temperatures, corrective actions, and employee training.

HACCP analysis examples

Process Step: Cooking Hamburger Patties

• Hazard: Survival of harmful bacteria (Biological - E. coli).

• CCP: Cooking step.

• Critical Limit: Internal temperature reaches at least 155°F for 15 seconds.

• Monitoring: Measure internal temperature with a calibrated meat thermometer.

• Corrective Action: Continue cooking until temperature is met, or discard if standard cannot be verified.

Unionization

the process of organizing employees into a labor union to act as a collective bargaining agent with management

Purpose of unionization

• Better wages and benefits

• Job security and fairness

• Safe working conditions

Collective bargaining

negotiation between an employer and a labor union representing employees concerning wages, hours, working conditions, and other terms of employment

• goal: reach a mutually binding collective bargaining agreement (CBA)

Collective bargaining - negotiation

the primary phase where union and management representatives meet to discuss proposals, trade concessions, and draft agreement terms

Collective bargaining - mediation

• a neutral third party assists the negotiating parties in reaching a voluntary agreement.

• they do not have the authority to impose a settlement; they facilitate communication.

Collective bargaining - arbitration

a neutral third party (arbitrator) reviews evidence from both sides and makes a final, legally binding decision to resolve a dispute

Summary of collective bargaining

Progression of dispute resolution: Negotiation (direct talk) $\rightarrow$ Mediation (facilitated assistance) $\rightarrow$ Arbitration (binding decision).

Example of collective bargaining

• Scenario: Kitchen staff union demands a wage increase of $2/hour and improved health benefits.

• Management counters with a $1/hour increase tied to performance metrics. Both sides enter negotiation to find a middle ground.

Grievance

a formal complaint raised by an employee or union stating that management has violated a term of the collective bargaining agreement

Wagner act (1935) - pro labor

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA):

• Guaranteed workers the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining.

• Prohibited unfair labor practices by employers (e.g., firing workers for union activity).

Taft-Hartley Act (1947) - pro management

• Labor-Management Relations Act:

  • Placed restrictions on union powers.

  • Outlawed closed shops (requiring union membership as a condition of hiring).

  • Permitted states to pass "right-to-work" laws.

Americans with disabilities act

dederal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life,including jobs and food service employment

ADA - essential job functions

• fundamental job duties of the employment position the individual with a disability holds or desires

• employers must focus on whether a candidate can perform essential functions (with or without reasonable accommodation)

ADA - workplace accessibility

requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations (e.g., modified equipment, adjustable prep tables, flexible schedules) unless it causes undue hardship to the operation