Looking for a solution to this employee problem

[NicksPizza]

Dewar's Pizza Bakery:

Daddio:

So if the store is running properly without the manager what do you need the manager for?

The store is not going to run properly forever without a manager. But a properly managed store relies heavily on employee self-management.

I agree totally. And I add in the belief that self-reliant staff allow the manager time and resources to then grow and strengthen the business. The manager with a high functioning staff is most valuable to me when he/she then uses that “found time” to alleviate the pressures on me. He delegates to the staff in order to make time and resources for higher order accomplishment. If the higher order accomplishment is relaxation and vacation that is not discussed with and approved by me, then there is a disconnect in philosophies. YES, reward that sort of leadership and effectiveness with some appropriate time off. Remember that Kristi said that an employee was just terminated, and the ‘surprise’ unpaid leave may create a bigger issue at the company level.

Then there is the petty gripe that no one gets 6 weeks of leave if I don’t get 6 weeks leave.

To Original thread question: Family has to know that the business and your livelihood come first. It is always going to be a challenge and nothing pretty will happen if you have to fire the family member.

 

[Thunderman]

Both of my managers get 4 weeks of paid vacation a year. My partner and I cover for them with our assistant managers. I deal with this whole “problem” by simply having more people than I need. Every shift has at least 1 to 3 extra people on, depending on the day. My employees get unlimited time off and can have any day off they want with 2 weeks notice. Any less notice than that is at my discretion, but I rarely if ever say no. I know i can make a lot more money by running leaner, but I sleep a lot better now. Most of my employees are high school kids who work less than 20 hours a week. I let them live their lives, things come up. It works for us, I have a tremendous staff. I have had 1 employee quit with less than 6 months notice in the last 3 years. She came back two weeks later looking for her job back. I hope i don’t come across as bragging, but i’m really proud of my kids.

 

[Registered_Guest]

Thunderman:

… I deal with this whole “problem” by simply having more people than I need. Every shift has at least 1 to 3 extra people on, depending on the day.

I’ve thought of (and tried) doing this at various times, but how do you handle the issue with drivers? If I schedule too many drivers, drivers don’t take as many deliveries and they don’t make anywhere near as much money. I try to schedule enough drivers to provide the service time I want - but having an extra driver on a shift could potentially cut the other driver(s) tip potential in half or more.

 

[marbles2]

I’m about ready to toss all my employees into a recycling bin and give them a good shaking up!!! :x
We’re one small store in a small town (population 850 in a rural community of about 3,000 with summer tourists) so we’re going into a slower season. The crew of 4 all want lots of hours (and I put in shifts as well) so we weren’t planning to replace the fifth person, who had recently quit to go work in a lumber mill, if we can hold out until spring. (One of the people is my daughter, who’s worked there 14 years since she was 11, and she just had a baby with her boyfriend, who has also worked for us for about 8 years, and they share in the childcare duties so it’s hard right now to schedule them both at the same time unless 8-week-old baby is there… which works sometimes but not a good idea.)
Last weekend I’d wanted to take a little one-time painting class on Saturday early afternoon so I scheduled one of my night people for a full day shift. (Usually I do the split shift thing since I live close by and everyone else lives 10 miles away or so.) I hadn’t made a schedule beyond that and but had planned to do it on Sunday. I never dreamed I would suddenly come down with a killer virus cold, and had a hard time pulling that short-handed dinner shift, which would have been okay but it was a sunny Fall day and a million people decided to take in our chamber of commerce suggestion to see the stupid Fall leaves!!! I was in bed on Sunday.
This coming weekend is a Barter Fair about 5 hours away, and everyone wants to go really, really bad. (A few years ago we closed so everyone could attend but in this economy it’s stupid to close willy nilly.) Seniority and qualifying for vacation days are daughter and her boyfriend, so how can I force them to stay? (They will only go one day… a lot of driving for one day.) The rest of us are going to have to work (with husband doing deliveries and helping more than usual) and I pray we remain healthy. (Oh, and a seven-year-old birthday party has been booked… whooopeeee! :shock: )
So then I was settling into making the new schedule with these changes and the employee who took the day shift last weekend announced that he thought the Saturday day shift was his new permanent position and made an important appointment for the following Saturday night, which is Homecoming and the other employee (senior girl in high school) was wanting the night off also. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! At that point I didn’t know whether to run screaming into the night or fire him, but I insisted he try to change that appointment. We’ll see how that works out… (Oh, and we have a big dinner party scheduled…)
If I could hire a bunch of high schoolers working 15 hour shifts, I’d do it in a heartbeat!!! But we have alcohol so it’s hard for them to be alone, or take alcohol orders, or clear off beer bottles from tables, or work any machine so they are somewhat useless. We have one at a time. Maybe I’ll look at the senior population who no longer have retirement and need to supplement. Hmmmmmmm?

Thanks for letting me vent in this thread. I feel much better now… :roll:

 

[papajgirl]

Poor Marbles.

The only thing that could be problematic that I could see about seniors is the type of things they can get into that others might not at the age they would be.

A lot of older folks are more “self sufficient” and “set” in their own ways and not follow the rules of a “youngster” as readily as someone your age or less.

In my area, we’ve had elderly people refuse to do ID checks for alcohol or cigarettes because “they KNOW what a kid too young to drink or smoke looks like”, etc.

Then, you have to really watch where they are allowed to go in the building…one trip through a kitchen on someone as young as 60 even, could result in a nasty broken hip in a slip/fall…and burns are more serious at that age, too, as the skin begins to thin out.

I mean, I LOVE the elderly population, and I was raised in a family much older than they should be to have someone my age in it…I mean, I’m 34 and my mom is 71.

But, there are sure a lot more risks involved…work ethic is usually what you want…but the physical risks and limitations may be too much…but your market sounds smaller and more compatible, so I really couldn’t say for sure…you know?