CHAPTER 10: MANAGING SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE IN FOOD & HOTEL

BUSINESS
Managing Senior Em!o"ee#
Ignoring a signifcant age diference between you and your older employees may
work for a little while, but eventually you will need to address this growing,
though tricky, workplace issue. Still, you can bridge the age gap without
jeopardizing productivity or morale. ou may be known as the !young
whippersnapper" or part of that !#eneration $," but what is most important is
your reputation as a good manager. %ere are eight proven ways for successfully
managing your older employees&

'. Do No$ Ge$ De%en#i&e ( it is probably the most common initial response,
but becoming defensive won)t get you anywhere. ou will appear weak,
immature, and unprofessional. If an older worker references the age
diference in a disparaging way, try frst to understand where the remark
is coming.
*. Lo#e $'e (no)*I$*A!! A$$i$+,e ( if you want your employees to show
you respect, then do the same for them. +cting as if you know more than
anyone, however, will not create respect. ,ust because you are the boss
does not mean that you have all the answers. Sometimes efective
management simply means knowing where to go for the answers. Instead
of dismissing your older employees) points of view, tap into their range
and breadth of e-perience. .hey will see you as a listener who values their
opinions. ou might even want to consider assigning them as mentors to
younger employees.
/. Li#$en ( a constant talker is closely related to the know0it0all. If you are
always yakking at your people, they will eventually stop listening. It is
essential that you force yourself to become a good listener. 1lder
employees are adept at spotting great pretenders, those who tend to do a
lot more talking than listening. 2emember, a good leader carefully reads a
situation and then takes appropriate action. 3o one ever learned anything
from talking, but listening4 .hat is the best teacher.
5. C+!$i&a$e a Team Siri$ ( miraculously, teams often transcend age. .hat
is, when you create a group whose mission it is to collaborate toward a
common goal, it does not matter how old your workers are. +s the team
leader, your job is to motivate and create an environment of learning.
.reat everyone e6ually and fairly and you will likely notice a surge in
participation and enthusiasm.
7. E#$a-!i#' C!ear E.e/$a$ion# ( everyone works more efectively when
they know what is e-pected of them. .herefore you must be willing to
communicate your e-pectations clearly and with respect. 8ikewise,
encourage your older workers to communicate with you on a regular basis.
Show them how to resolve con9icts in an open and honest fashion,
something they may not be accustomed to. :ncourage them to initiate
and take responsibility for conversations about job and career moves
within the company.
;. Be In/!+#i&e ( this is especially important when it comes to technology.
,ust because older workers remember the days before computers does not
mean they are e-empt from learning new technology. :nsure that all your
employees are trained on new software and o<ce e6uipment. +nd insist
that everyone participates in training and development. 3ever allow
employees to opt out because they are !too old."
=. Be F!e.i-!e ( retention is a key when it comes to successfully managing
older workers. >onsider options like 9e-itime, part0time work, seasonal,
contract, and even phased retirement. ou might help a worker set up a
home o<ce, too.
?. Re&ie) 0o+r Comen#a$ion Pra/$i/e# ( what motivates older
employees is often diferent than what motivates their younger
counterparts. @or them, some benefts are more meaningful than others.
@ind out what will make these employees more efective and happy Asuch
as more time of versus monetary rewardsB.
Managing 0o+ng Em!o"ee#
If you are managing a staf of young employees, you understand that workers in
this age group pose their own uni6ue challenges to management. ounger
workers bring potent energy, drive, and enthusiasm to your company C they
want to be challenged and are confdent that they can achieve whatever they
put their minds to. %owever, younger employees also re6uire a lot of attention
and feedback, demanding more of a time commitment. %ere are some helpful
tips on managing a staf of young workers&
'. Be C!ear From $'e O+$#e$ ( when you interview a younger potential
worker, be sure to craft a clear representation of what your company will
e-pect of him or her. @ully e-plain performance goals, appropriate o<ce
behaviour, dress code, and o<ce hours. .his will open the potential
employee)s eyes to the job re6uirements and what it takes to succeed.
*. Gi&e T'em E.$ra S$r+/$+re ( your young employees need defned due
dates for reports and detailed schedules for projects in order to properly
structure their workday. It is reassuring to them when jobs have regular
hours, meetings have agendas, goals are clearly stated, and progress is
assessed. ou should defne success factors so that they know that they
are making progress.
/. Tea/' B+#ine## S$an,ar,# ( it is important that you instruct young
employees from the beginning about your company)s business standards.
oung workers may never have been accountable for meeting strict
objectives and might not understand the costs of actions such as using
unsuitable language in a business e0mail.
5. Gi&e T'em Free Rein $o M+!$i$a#1 ( keep in mind that your young
stafers can multitask unlike any generation before them. .his means that
they can send e0mails, talk on the phone, and compose memos at the
same time and enjoy themselves in the process.
7. C+!$i&a$e a Po#i$i&e A$mo#'ere ( for young workers, the workplace
needs to be fun and employee0centred. .hey want to enjoy their work and
their workplace, and they want to make friends with their colleagues. .his
means going out to lunch with other employees, laughing and joking with
stafers during work hours, and being involved in planning company
events. 2emember that a stodgy atmosphere isn)t going to interest most
young employees for very long.
;. Be a Men$or ( young employees want to learn from you and receive your
daily feedback. .hey want your leadership and supervision, to learn about
how the company works from the source. ou should understand this when
you hire them, and plan to spend time teaching and coaching them. oung
employees will return your investment in them with their enthusiasm.
=. S$ri&e %or 2or1*Li%e Ba!an/e ( young employees fll their lives with
many activities such as sports leagues, social groups, classes, time spent
with friends. .hey work hard, but they are generally not workaholics.
%ome, family, and friends are often their frst priorities. It is important to
remember that work0life balance is very important to young employees.
2emember that young employees bring a wealth of enthusiasm and eagerness to
your company. .hey are technologically savvy and eager to take on new
challenges. ,ust remember that they can become easily bored by the mundane
and routine, and that they need to feel involved. +s young employees grow with
your business and become more e-perienced, you will see your investment in
them pay of.
Managing F!e.i-!e 2or1ing Em!o"ee#
'. Comm+ni/a$e 2e!! ( make sure that the lines of communication stay
open and that you speak on the phone often when people are teleworking.
8ook out for early warning signs that 9e-ible working may not suit the
employee and take action. ou may fnd it useful to speak on the phone
every day, at least at frst until you are sure that all is well. Do not always
rely on email. If you speak on the phone or meet face0to face, you are
more likely to pick up any issues or worries and it will also be easier for the
9e-ible working employee to feel they can raise any concerns informally.
3ot every manager communicates well. If you think you need some help in
this area, ask for training. >ommunication is the key skill to master if you
are to make a success of 9e-ible working or teleworking.
*. U#e Te/'no!og" $o Ma1e U %or Di#$an/e ( use teleconferencing as a
way of keeping the whole team working on a project in regular touch. ou
might also want to consider using Instant Eessaging or similar applications
to help people chat with each other in an informal way.
/. Train Peo!e %or F!e.i-!e 2or1ing ( some employees who are remote
working will be more self0motivated than others. Frovide clear instructions
and guidance as to e-actly what work is a re6uired as well as clear
deadline. In some cases, employees may beneft from specifc training in
time management techni6ues, increasing personal productivity
5. Tr+#$ Em!o"ee# ( learn to trust your staf when they are remote working
and let go of micro0management.
7. S+or$ F!e.i-!e 2or1ing ( you will need to ensure that somewhere is
provided for all employees to use F>s and access the Internet when they
are in the o<ce, even if it is a team desk facility.
;. A/$i&e!" En/o+rage Team)or1 an, So/ia! In$era/$ion ( if some or all
of your team are remote working it is more important than ever that you
have regular face0to0face team meetings. Gse this time to clarify overall
objectives as well as make sure everyone is clear on what they are meant
to achieve. +s manager, it is up to you to provide the overall vision. .his
will help your remote working staf feel motivated and see where their role
fts in.
=. Manage -" O+$+$ No$ In+$ ( as a manager, you will need to focus on
deliverables and results instead of presence and activity. ou will need to
fnd other ways of checking that your employees are engaged and on
track. 2emember that there are a hundred visual cues that you usually use
every day as a manager to check whether an employee is e-cited and
understands what he needs to do. ou will need to identify ways to
compensate for this visual feedback. Eake the shift to Hmanagement by
output) rather than Hmanagement by eyeball). +lso, your remote
employees are missing out on the visual cues that tell them that their
work is valued. Ihen in the o<ce, the fact that you smiled or said thank
you when they delivered a report, for e-ample, may have added to their
sense of motivation. So remember that your remote employees also need
you to confrm that their work is valued and give them positive feedback.
?. C'ange $'e C+!$+re ( the employees who are o<ce based may feel
resentful of remote workers. Eake sure that they know why the 9e-ible
working system has been put in place and consider how their own roles
may need to change to complement the stafs that are remote working.
J. Be C!ear A-o+$ 2'a$ 0o+ E.e/$ ( if you need remote working
employees to be available to be called or emailed at a particular time,
make it clear in advance. If you call and there is no reply, you should not
assume that the employee is on the beachK :-pect that the employee will
not always be at the end of the phoneL unless you have made it clear in
advance that you would like him to be. It is also important to specify any
other e-pectations that you have in advance. .hen the employee will have
a clear framework to work within.
'M.Re/ogni#e T'a$ Peo!e Ha&e a Li%e O+$#i,e 2or1 ( your business will
enjoy increasing productivity. Nut it is crucial that you make sure that your
9e-ible working stafs understands that they are not e-pected to be on *5
hour call, if they are working remotely. .hey should make full use of the
H1f) buttons on their computer and mobile phone.
''.Lea, -" E.am!e ( work 9e-ibly and show others how well it can work,
as well as enjoying the advantages of 9e-ible working and a better work
life balance yourself.
'*.Lea, 2e!!3 Manage Saring!" ( set overall goals and objectives, be
clear about re6uired outputs, then leave it to your staf to e-cel. .hey
should have improved work life balance and the business will see
increasing productivity.