Hospitality Human Resource Management and Supervision Flashcards
4.1 The Role and Goals of the Supervisor in Operations
Hierarchy of Supervision: In restaurants and hotels, managers are in charge of supervisors, who lead and oversee entry-level workers directly.
The Supervisory Goal: A good supervisor's main job is to keep everything running smoothly by encouraging their employees to work hard and be professional.
Influence and Leadership: Supervisors are the main bridge between what management wants and what staff does. They shape the work environment and show good behavior to their team.
4.2 The Transition from Entry-Level to Supervisor
Changing the Focus: The transition from being an individual contributor to a leadership role involves a shift from "working" (performing tasks) to "leading" (ensuring others perform tasks correctly). Key challenges include:
Moving from a focus on personal task completion to leading a group.
Utilizing critical thinking and common sense to resolve departmental issues.
Troubleshooting daily operations effectively.
Identifying methods to motivate staff to achieve high performance.
Building and maintaining respect among former peers and new employees.
Managing Employee Relationships: A successful transition relies on establishing a relationship of trust and respect with the team. Supervisors must:
Make the right decisions for the right reasons, prioritizing the operation and the team over personal bias.
Engage in active communication by both talking to and listening to employees to understand their needs and concerns.
Gaining Experience: New supervisors must be reflective, carefully considering their actions before acting and treating mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning.
4.3 Employee Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Motivation is often understood through Maslow’s framework, which suggests that individuals are motivated to fulfill needs in a specific order:
Physiological needs: Basic survival requirements such as food, water, and sleep.
Safety needs: The need for security, stability, and protection from physical or emotional harm.
Social needs: The desire for belonging, affection, and acceptance within a group.
Esteem needs: The need for internal factors like self-respect and external factors like status, recognition, and attention.
Self-actualization: The drive to become what one is capable of becoming, involving personal growth and achieving one's potential.
Making a Good First Impression: Motivation begins at the start of employment through several key factors:
Compensation: Providing competitive pay for the work performed.
Benefits: Offering additional perks or insurance that add value to the role.
Shared Vision: Ensuring the employee understands the overarching goals of the company.
Belonging: Creating an environment where the employee feels they are a valued member of the team.
Long-Term Motivation and Professionalism: To maintain a motivated workforce, supervisors should:
Create a career ladder that shows employees a path for advancement.
Explain the long-term benefits of remaining with the company.
Foster a positive company culture.
Maintain a professional environment that has zero tolerance for harassment and embraces diversity.
Effective Supervision Strategies:
Build a great team and provide regular, public praise.
Reward exceptional performance.
Identify "fast-track" or high-potential employees and invite them to attend more advanced meetings.
Ensure the workplace remains an enjoyable and fun environment.
Planning for Success: Supervisors provide a clear vision for the team and manage employee relations to ensure everyone is moving toward common goals. This involves:
Developing ongoing training programs to keep skills sharp.
Regularly reviewing employee work and goals to ensure they remain on track.
Communication and Role Modeling: A supervisor’s behavior sets the tone for the entire staff. They must:
Act as a positive role model in both attitude and action.
Communicate a consistent message through multiple channels, such as pre-shift meetings, group meetings, and bulletin boards.
Employee Involvement and CQI: Motivation is increased when employees are involved in the business. This includes:
Asking questions and listening to employee perspectives.
Involving staff in planning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
Providing opportunities for responsibility, contribution, creativity, and career growth.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): Using employee feedback to save money, set team goals, practice food safety, improve food storage, and increase revenue through marketing.
4.4 Building and Maintaining Effective Teams
Types of Work Teams:
Simple teams: Groups working on basic, everyday tasks.
Relay teams: Teams where the output of one person or group is the input for the next (common in kitchen-to-server workflows).
Problem-solving teams: Groups formed to address a specific issue or obstacle.
Cross-functional teams: Teams composed of members from different departments or areas of expertise.
Characteristics of Effective Teams:
Strong interpersonal skills among members.
Empowerment of members to make decisions.
Active participation in problem-solving.
Morale-centric environment that minimizes unnecessary turnover.
Developing Team Goals: Team building occurs in several phases:
Team Building: Getting to know members, learning to work together, setting ground rules, and establishing decision-making processes.
Information: Learning to use tools to support tasks, providing progress updates, and communicating with stakeholders.
Accomplishment: Ensuring every team member understands the "what" and the "why" of their activities.
Team-Building Issues: Failures in teamwork often stem from:
Poor management styles.
High employee turnover.
Failure to maintain priorities (not understanding the mission).
Decisions made without team input.
Low trust, blaming behaviors, and a lack of diversity.
4.5 Employee Recognition and Incentive Programs
Program Planning: Successful programs require established goals and parameters, clear implementation steps, and scheduled rewards/celebrations.
Evaluating Program Success: Managers should ask:
Did the program actually motivate employees?
Did the employees enjoy participating?
Were the goals achieved?
Was the benefit worth the effort and the expense?
Are there areas for improvement?
Examples of Incentive Programs:
Service awards (acknowledging quality of service).
Sales and productivity awards (acknowledging high output).
Customer satisfaction awards (based on guest feedback).
Safety awards (rewarding accident-free periods).
Longevity awards (honoring years of service).
10.1 Addressing and Preventing Workplace Harassment
Legal Obligation: Managers have a legal and professional duty to provide a healthy and safe environment. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Forms of Sexual Harassment:
Quid pro quo: Meaning "this for that," where benefits are offered in exchange for sexual favors.
Hostile environment: An environment made uncomfortable or intimidating through pervasive sexual conduct or comments. This applies to all individuals, including men, women, and nonbinary people.
Harassment Policies: Operations must have a zero-tolerance policy. Every employee is responsible for stopping harassment and reporting it immediately.
Addressing Claims:
Victims should report complaints to a supervisor.
Confidentiality must be maintained.
Complaints must be investigated thoroughly according to local and state laws.
Work schedules may be adjusted to separate involved parties during investigations.
A third-party witness should be present during interviews.
Other Forms of Harassment: Harassment can also be based on race, religion, pregnancy, age, disability, or sexual orientation. The harasser may be a supervisor or a peer, and the victim does not necessarily have to be the person being directly targeted.
10.2 Protecting the Rights of Employees
Pregnancy Rights: Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, employers cannot:
Refuse to hire someone due to pregnancy.
Use special procedures just to determine a pregnant woman's ability to work.
Force a pregnant employee to take leave.
Prohibit an employee from returning after birth.
Disability Rights: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids discrimination. A person is considered disabled if they:
Have a physical or mental impairment limiting one or more major life activities.
Have a record of such impairment.
Are regarded as having such an impairment.
Youth Labor Restrictions: Regulations vary by age to ensure safety:
: Can work front-of-house. Prohibited from using power-driven meat processing machines, commercial mixers, or bakery machines. cannot drive; may drive occasionally but cannot make time-sensitive deliveries or drive at night.
: Can work front-of-house. In addition to the above restrictions, they cannot perform baking tasks, operate broilers, fryolators, rotisseries, pressure cookers, or food slicers. They cannot work in freezers or meat coolers.
Permitted tasks for and : Food prep including electric/gas grills and deep fat fryers, kitchen work, using dishwashers and toasters, cleaning surfaces, and disposing of oil/grease.
10.3 Workplace Safety Standards (OSHA and HAZCOM)
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: An OSHA process to protect those who may contact infectious materials. Includes exposure control plans, vaccinations (like Hepatitis B), training, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). If exposure occurs, medical evaluation and recordkeeping are required.
Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM/Right-to-Know): Requires Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for all chemicals. MSDSs must include:
Safe use and handling instructions.
Physical, health, fire, and reactivity hazards.
Required PPE and precautions.
First-aid information and emergency steps.
Manufacturer contact info and hazardous ingredients.
Top 10 Most Cited OSHA Problems in Restaurants:
Hazard Communication
General PPE Requirements
General Electrical Requirements
Wiring Methods and Components
General Walking/Working Surfaces
Medical Services and First Aid
Exit Route Maintenance
Hand Protection
Portable Fire Extinguishers
Eye and Face Protection
10.4 Preventing Workplace Violence
Safety protocols include:
Providing safety education and securing the workplace.
Using drop safes to limit cash on hand.
Instructing employees to avoid areas where they feel unsafe.
Encouraging vigilance and reporting of suspicious activity.
10.5 Emergency Management and Fire Safety
Emergency Action Plans: Must be written (or oral in some cases) and include procedures for reporting fires or emergencies, alarm system maintenance, evacuation training, and regular reviews.
Fire Prevention:
Do not move hot oil or throw water on grease fires.
Empty grease traps frequently and keep cooking surfaces clean.
Avoid defective electrical equipment and store flammables properly.
Other Emergencies: Plans should cover bomb scares, active shooter incidents, and natural disasters like severe wind, floods, or earthquakes.
10.6 Food Safety, Employee Rights, and the FDA Food Code
Balancing Health and Law:
If an employee appears sick: Under the ADA, do not ask about symptoms NOT related to food handling.
Sore throat with fever: If serving a high-risk population, exclude the employee. Otherwise, restrict them from working with food (FDA Food Code).
Vomiting, Diarrhea, or Jaundice: Exclude the employee. For vomiting/diarrhea, they must be symptom-free for or have a medical release (FDA Food Code).
Communicable Diseases: HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, and Tuberculosis are disabilities under the ADA. They cannot be spread through food or casual contact.
10.7 Employee Assistance (EAP) and Wellness Programs
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Worksite-based resources benefiting both employees (support) and employers (productivity).
Wellness Programs: Intended to identify employee health interests, learn about common health problems, and set goals for workplace health.
Common screenings: Blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity/stress, diabetes, and heart disease.
Evaluation: Programs should be checked for relevance, participant frequency, and material quality.