Hiring Slow and Fire Fast

We have been incredibly lucky at The Porter to have had a very low staff turn over since opening. So when we do lose someone, we try to be thoughtful and careful about whom we hire to fill the empty spot. Sometimes when you’re short staffed and feeling the pressure on the schedule, it can lead you to jump to conclusions and hire someone too fast who turns out to not be right, which is the worst! Disciplining and terminating employees is everyone’s least favorite management job. Currently for the front of the house, an applicant has to have two interviews with two different managers and then does a stage for a few hours. (Stage is when you work for free like a try-out, to see the applicant in action) Usually this narrows the crowd from the slackers to the truly dedicated, but some times hard work  and a love of beer is not enough. I’ve hired staff who simply were never going to be fast enough or multi-tasking enough to keep up with service at The Porter. There are certain things that are innate (like timing) which I can’t teach you. In that case, it’s time to fire fast. If it’s within the first 90 days, it’s as easy as saying “This isn’t a good fit.” any longer and I have to document the staff member’s failing and counsel them on improving and then document if they actually do improve! Whew, just thinking about the paperwork is making me tired. But that’s why you hire slow and fire fast!

Cheers,

Molly

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