Some people gravitate toward change, some are slow to come around and others do whatever they can to completely avoid it, says Judy Gipper, director of dining services for Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.
So when the school opened a new dining facility last fall, not everyone embraced the shift, she says. With the new eatery came a profound adjutsment in culture, and Gipper took calculated steps to ensure as many team members made it through the transition as possible. Here's how she and other operators have kept on staff on board during times of change.
To help team members visualize their new workflow, Gipper teamed up with the construction company helming the project to provide 3-D models of the new dining hall. One of the videos was designed from the employees’ perspective to show how they would enter the building, where the time clock would be and how they would get to the production kitchen. "That was reassuring because people knew there was very much a plan," she says. Dining services also worked around construction schedules to bring in small groups of staff to see the progress of the facility.
In 2016, Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass., transitioned to a self-operated foodservice program. During the switch, the dining team sent staff regular emails on its progress and posted updates to the department website. “Mistakes will be made,” says Andrew Mankus, director of dining services; “however, constant communication with staff members as well as the campus community should be delivered at least biweekly, if not weekly.”
With a centralized location for more action and made-to-order stations, some Western Michigan University employees took on different roles in the new location. As a unionized operation, the department worked with the union to rewrite job descriptions to reflect the updated duties and rebid the positions. Dining staff with seniority had the option to select jobs outside of the new dining hall. The dining team also hosted five informational sessions to discuss the menu, job duties and schedules, reserving most of the time for questions.
When Chicago Public Schools rolls out a new policy or initiative, they often send staff to partner schools in the Urban School Food Alliance, a group of nutrition programs that work together for purchasing power. At the partner schools, the staff learn best practices and thought leadership, helping to create a smoother transition.
Before opening the new dining hall, Western Michigan University did a few soft openings. First, team members cooked a limited menu for themselves and their immediate families. The dinner created a lot of goodwill among employees, who enjoyed showing off the facility to their loved ones, Gipper says. Then, during the first week, the operations opened for several smaller groups, which benefited employees by allowing them to see guests enjoying the space.
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