You have a small business that never worries about recruiting staff because employees seldom leave, and when they do you have a stack of resumes from people willing to wait two years for a job opening. Sound like a dream? Not to Vancouver restaurateurs Rayana and Roy Blackwell.
In the beginning, recruiting staff for Mr. Pickwick's wasn't easy. From the first 20 résumés, 10 candidates were invited for an interview. Only three actually showed up. The others took one look at the tiny 230-square-foot fish-and-chips restaurant on South Granville and walked right by. The three who came in went through a four-hour paid working interview and the opportunity to interact with all the staff. The staff then gave feedback on whom they thought was the best candidate, and a hiring decision was made. Because the staff were involved in the decision, they felt a high level of commitment to helping the new employee succeed.
In the early years, the Blackwells couldn't afford to pay what they thought the staff were worth, so they had to think of creative ways to reward them. When salmon was added to the menu, a challenge was put out to staff: "Come up with a sauce that will complement our new menu item". One of the employees, Kevin, rose to the challenge and created a brilliant lemon dill sauce. To reward him for his contribution, Rayana decided to pay a royalty on the sauce's sales. Kevin's first royalty check was only $3.00, but the goodwill it created was immeasurable. Even when Kevin briefly moved on to another job, he continued to receive a royalty check. Now he is back at the company's second location on Denman Street, and by June his royalties for 2006 were already $300.
There are several other reasons for low staff turnover. Employee input is sought for marketing initiatives and selection of specials. Staff also receive training in all facets of the business -- ordering, stocking, food costing, prepping, cooking and customer service. And every year, Mr. Pickwick's pays for each employee to take one external training program that promotes personal growth or advances their personal career goal, whether in the restaurant industry or another field.
Because of the business's success, remuneration is now slightly higher than normal, in part to compensate for the broad spectrum of duties employees are able to perform, and in part to compensate for the relatively low level of tips the patrons tend to leave. The Blackwells believe that they are repaid in full for the investment they make in their staff. In addition to reducing turnover costs and contributing to increased sales, there comes peace of mind in knowing that the employees can step in and run the operation as if it were their own.
"We expected staff to stay three or four years, but we are now seven years with Kevin and five with Helen and Becky, with no sign of anyone leaving the Granville restaurant," says Rayana. "Using the same system at our full-size restaurant on Denman, we been open 25 months, and everyone has pretty well been with us since the start or shortly thereafter."
By consistently demonstrating that they value staff input, encourage creativity, personal and professional development and responsibility, they have created a sought-after work environment with a productive and satisfied staff and very little turnover. It's an employer's dream come true.
