Being a top chef in a reputed restaurant means a truly unique and respectable position in the hospitality industry. A chef can either make or break a restaurant. I know a restaurant with live music near me where the music was incidental but the food was the main attraction. The culinary and the managerial expertise required of an individual in this position cannot be replaced or substituted.
A top chef has to work in an extremely fast paced, high-pressured and ever-changing work environment. This calls for working the majority of the hours in a day. The worst part is that on those festive and special days when everybody else is enjoying a holiday and relaxing‚ the chef is expected to put in longer hours‚ work harder and appear completely relaxed and cheerful to their customers and bosses – a tall order indeed!
Balancing Work And Family Life – Vital For The Individual And The Industry
The hospitality industry is notorious for placing extremely tough work conditions and demands on their employees. The takeaway near me is a classic example of this. I have seen the chef and the support staff work continuously for hours on end to tackle the endless orders. Weekends are worse for these guys. It was obvious that they are making significant sacrifices in their family and personal lives.
Working under such strenuous conditions day in and day out can have a major negative impact on the quality of work output of chefs and also on their disposition. Hotel managements are waking up to the need to do something about this problem. They want to help chefs strike a work life balance so that their creativity is not affected and they have that much-needed peace of mind when they go back home.
Creating and maintaining an environment that can help executive chefs achieve a good balance in their work and life is extremely vital to the hospitality industry. Work life balance can be achieved in the hospitality industry when chefs and associated staff members get adequate time off from work‚ enjoy flexibility or scheduling‚ and have the freedom to reduce commitment to work hours when their family life demands it. Also‚ there must be adequate support from the management about preservation of their job and career.
Flexible Work Hours
One of the best ways of ensuring a good balance between work and family life is to make work hours flexible. The management can consider coming up with scheduling programs that can be easy on the chef and staff. Sharing responsibilities like handling lunch delivery in rotation‚ ensuring longer on and off days wherein you work for longer hours at a stretch and take longer breaks can be a wonderful way of balancing work and life.
Improve Operational Budgets
It is a well-known fact that most restaurants lack quality staff which forces existing staff members to work longer hours to make up for the human resources scarcity. This can affect the performance and morale of the kitchen team. London restaurants must consider improving their operational budgets and hiring more qualified staff so that chefs won’t have to be burdened with additional tasks and importantly‚ they won’t burnout.
Motivating Staff
Keeping chefs and kitchen staff motivated is a great way of ensuring that they enjoy their professional as well as personal life to the fullest. Employees love to be acknowledged for their hard work and for their efforts to be recognized publicly. Reward them for special efforts‚ involve their family members too if possible to boost motivation levels. This can get the whole team going.
Social Initiatives
Many top London restaurants use staff initiatives such as fitness programs and social work to bring the team together on a platform that’s not related to work. This is another effective way of bringing chefs and families together and helping them hit a work and family balance.
Performance Reviews
Review performances of your chefs and associated team at regular intervals‚ not only for improving future performances but also to understand their problems and to find solutions for them. Get feedback and suggestions from your chefs as to how their problems can be sorted out or work together to reach a common ground. It will encourage them to remain committed to your organization.
It is imperative to ensure that the work life balance of chefs and staff members is maintained at all times. This will not only keep them happy and committed but will also do wonders to the productivity and reputation of your restaurant.