In our industry, losing staff is part of what we can expect. Even though turnover is a fact of running a cafe, how we lose people is largely up to us.

The fact is we lose staff needlessly because of behaviors, and subsequently environments, that push them away. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have staff that love working for us so much so that they are actually heart broken when they have to move on from their role in our business? Well there are some key elements that must be in place in order to make that dream a reality.

Let’s explore 5 keys to retaining staff.

Boundaries + Clarity

First off, we need to recognize that this is a professional relationship. As such there needs to be lines established from the start that are not crossed. Staff are not family they are employees. We lose staff needlessly when we start to use “family” and “loyalty” in association with our employees who are just there to do a good job Not be adopted by the owners. Many toxic work environments start when we don’t respect boundaries. Starting with this we  should additionally pursue creating detailed and clear job descriptions and communicate clearly our expectations from the start. When we treat our employees as professionals and give them clarity in their work they are mush more likely to stick around.

Tools to do the Job

Wow, this one is huge. I am always surprised to see just how many baristas have to do their job without the proper tools. We basically rely on their adapting to the dysfunction we preside over. When I do speaking engagements and consulting I will jokingly tell people to go out and buy some new sponges for their staff and watch their eyes light up. It usually gets a laugh because most owners and operators have a short (or long) list of things in their cafe that are “minor” fixes or needs and this reminds them of something they have pushed back in their mind. Trouble is, the baristas have not so quickly forgotten about these things and interpret the lack of proper and functional tools to a lack of care for them. This extends also to the tools of information and communication they need to do their job. When we take care of the tools your staff rely on to take care of the space and the customer, we are actively showing our care for them.

Value + Generosity

Do you suffer from “Staff Blindness”? This is what I call it when we come to see the staff more as fixtures in the cafe, like furniture rather than people. Day in and day out we see them and assume all is well until one day, they are not there or put their notice in. We are shocked! Had we been paying attention though, we would have been able to see the writing on the wall. People need a recognition and affirmation in their work. We are able to have this business because of the work they do. When we ignore actively valuing our staff they go where they find more value. Simple as that. Fixing this looks like prioritizing affirmation, practicing gratitude, and also being generous in the way you compensate them for their work. The generous mindset thinks about “What can I do” not “What can I away with”. It is the same mindset we would love staff to have toward their work so let’s cultivate this in how we are with them.

Trust

When we think about baristas, it is pretty common to start with a pessimistic view. The phrase “It’s hard to find good help” is thrown around without irony by those unaware of their own part to play in creating an environment in which good employees are made. It begins with trust. Trust is first extended to the barista by the owner, again, in a spirit of generosity. As Danny Meyer says in his essential book, Setting the Table, we have to have “Charitable Assumption”. When we start with the opposite mindset of what I will call “Malevolent Assumption” toward staff we end up with with a self fulfilling prophecy. Badly thought of and treated people do not in return think of and treat you, or your business and customers well. We re in charge of creating the environment in which people can be successful and thrive. When we extend trust to our employees they will more often than not meet that trust with their best work. Bottom line, trust equals respect and people stay longer where they are respected the most.

Humility

Finally we come to what may be the hardest of all. Running a great shop means running a people first shop. In order to do this, you need to be a person too. People want to be led by a human being, not a robot or a person who pretends to be perfect or won’t admit fault, or say “I am sorry”. By pushing a facaded of perfection, invulnerability and never being able to admit when you are wrong or that you could be wrong, you are tacitly communicating to your staff that you expect the same of them. Consider this is a call for pursuing self-awareness and vulnerability in your leadership. The behavior and attitude of leadership will be mimicked by staff. Which one of us would not want to have a team of humble, self-aware, and open people? In order to see those thing in others they must first be modeled by us. Active humility in leadership it creates an environment of safety. Where we have permission be human at work. That is the kind of place people want stay around as long as they can.

In conclusion, my encouragement to you is to pick one of these five things and commit to improving it over the long term. As you see progress being made, take on another. You won’t do it perfectly, but a commitment to positive change through consistent action will create the kind of environment that make you, your staff, and your customers never want to leave.

chris@keystotheshop.com

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting