MURTEC Executive Summit: A Transformative Approach to the Labor Crisis
Resilience expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa delivered actionable strategies for restaurants in her opening keynote, “A Transformative Approach to the Labor Crisis,” at the 2022 MURTEC Executive Summit at the Meritage Resort in Spa in Napa, Calif.
Gilboa, aka Dr. G., shared real-world strategies to help restaurants recruit and retain staff.
The first step? Think a little differently. Remember the adage, "Customer is king?’" Gilboa challenged attendees to “center your employees along with your customers in your mind and expectations.
"You can’t live the mission of the organization without a staff that is a part of that mission,” she said.
For example, think about one staff position your organization is trying to fill. When she asked the audience to name off that employee's priorities she received responses such as: work-life balance, family, career growth, purpose, and well-being.
For Gen Z and millennials, "purpose" is their top motivator, Gilboa said.
Dr. Gilboa’s offered her tips on how to center your employees:
- meet their actual needs
- offer flexibility (or structure in their worklife)
- provide a mission/ authenticity
- give opportunities for mastery
She also asked attendees: "Do your employees know your mission?" Gilboa offered up this simple test: “Can you answer why you are doing this when it sucks?”
Having a mission and being able to share that mission makes it easier to be empathetic. And empathy is an essential skill needed when building and maintaining teams.
“Employee retention triples when they have a leader who cares about them,” Gilboa said. You don’t have to solve all their problems, but being empathetic makes all the difference.
Help people through change with empathy (and some good listening skills!), not solutions, she advised.
“Quiet parts” effective leaders communicate:
- expectations
- empathy
- company needs
- employees are valued -- let them know you can't do it without them.
Say it Loud
Tell your employees how much you value them. Employees who feel valued are 2x more likely to stay in their jobs, she said.
Spend 30 seconds at the beginning of team meetings setting expectations. Make it an “us problem” and your meetings will be shorter, more efficient and effective, Gilboa said.
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