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In the new restaurant landscape, workforce management is a critical aspect of operational forecasting. The current labor shortage – and new strains of COVID – are pushing operators to their limits, forcing many to close dining halls (just as they were starting to reopen), reorganize their work schedule, limit opening hours and offer generous signing and retention incentives, as labor shortages put pressure on business operations. According to by Quinyx State of the Officeless Workforce Report 2021, 88% of workers say they experience daily stress at work due to a lack of staff problems.
Planning has always been a tedious task for restaurant managers, but with so many new variables to consider, the challenge is compounded. If a store is overstaffed, it’s likely to be overpaying and not getting the most out of its workforce. If he is understaffed, he may not meet his sales targets and cause unnecessary stress and strain on his hourly workers. Either way, the bottom line and labor suffer.
“Restaurant chefs have to balance minimum wage requirements; Fair work week laws; over time; paid and unpaid leave; and, more recently, COVID-related staffing issues – all of which can get very complicated, especially in the case of franchises that operate in multiple states,” says Rob Desmond, vice president of North America for quinyx. “In addition to all of this, they need to consider employees’ availability and desire to work and ensure that employees are paid properly.”
COVID has only exacerbated these planning issues. Most restaurants have a large, dispersed workforce that lacks a corporate email address, making it difficult for employers to communicate with their employees.
“Everyone is looking forward to the day when we can say ‘remember when,'” Desmond says. “So far, the pandemic has introduced different scheduling requirements and new communication channels for employers dealing with an hourly workforce, whether it’s state-regulated rules, vaccinations, last minute changes, contact tracing or additional training for employees.
Quinyx’s workforce management solution is a robust, all-in-one, next-generation, cloud-based workforce management platform that helps restaurant operators meet these operational challenges and planning. For example, in a 2021 survey by Quinyx, 59% of hourly restaurant workers surveyed said their employers contacted them after hours on personal channels due to scheduling issues and a lack of communication. adequate technology, while 70% said not having a flexible schedule would be a reason for leaving their current job. With the Quinyx mobile app, which has a world-class adoption rate, employees can clock in and out, request time off, and stay in constant contact with their employer (and each other) using technology that seamlessly integrates into their lives. daily. This helps operators better manage their time, communicate, and maintain compliance, which helps streamline business performance and maximize return on investment.
Take Sysco, a company that manufactures, distributes and stores food. “With so many different skills needed to manage their supply chain, you need to find the right worker working the right shift to meet demand, whether it’s working in the warehouse, making food or driving the truck himself,” Desmond says. “We helped Sysco move from a manual planning process to a more data-driven process by creating its own ‘gig economy’ so its own employees can create an efficient workforce. »
When employers make it easy for employees to stay in touch with management and each other, view their schedules, bid on open shifts, chat with co-workers, and pitch their own shifts, it leads to an increase in employee satisfaction, engagement, productivity and productivity. and, ultimately, retention. Implementing tools that allow employers to meet the flexibility needs of employees is an important factor in retaining a restaurant’s hourly workforce. Quinyx also easily integrates with human resources, payroll and other business applications operators may already have in place. Additionally, the platform uses artificial intelligence to help with better forecasting, which can increase productivity, save money, and help the business meet sales goals.
“We enable our customers to ensure they have the right employee in the right place at the right time, while maintaining cost and compliance,” says Desmond.
Quinyx recently closed a $50 million funding round led by Battery Ventures, which will allow the company to accelerate innovation and expansion of services to foodservice companies such as McDonald’s, Dominoes, Hello Fresh and Gorillas Food.
“Workforce management is part of your human capital cadence, so understanding which employee can and can’t work is critical,” says Desmond. “While we cannot solve the labor shortage, we can providing technology to help employers manage it.
To learn more about how workforce management can help your brand, visit Quinyx website.
By Davina van Buren
