Question:
What are some ways to reward employees when money is limited?
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Answer:
In last month’s column, we talked about job enlargement as a way of finding efficiencies within the existing roles of your operation. Another strategy we use in job design is job enrichment, and that’s creating jobs for those people who want to move up in the ranks.
Think about your dishwasher. He comes in and does a great job, but he wants more money, more advancement and opportunity. Job enrichment is taking that extra hour when it’s slow to help him start working on knife skills under the direction of the chef or sous chef. And you let him know, in six months maybe he’ll be good enough that he can be promoted.
Another way to create opportunity is to train employees on all the same-level, same-pay jobs in your operation. Say you have six positions on a tray line; an employee who knows all six has more value to the operation over the person who knows only one of those positions. And the person who knows all six can be your trainer to cross-train others in those other areas. So you build an informal leadership structure, even in your entry-level positions. You have that sense of value, and the employee performs well and has pride in their role.
As management, our goal is to get the most out of our people. Take a moment to brainstorm, “How can I do this better?” and think about what kind of environment you are setting up for your team.
—Lynne Eddy
Associate Professor, Business Management
The Culinary Institute of America