For any manager who wants to improve team morale while boosting retention, upskilling employees is the ideal solution. Whether you own a bustling bar or manage several pub locations, there are plenty of ways to upskill your team for a better customer experience. Here’s what you need to know.
Workplace mentoring
While more informal than hiring an expert or paying for team members to take a course, mentoring at work is a great way to upskill employees without loosening the purse strings. All it takes is half an hour one day per week to shadow your team member and teach them a new skill. It could be a technical skill like working the register, or something as simple as teaching them how to upsell customers in a way that isn’t pushy.
If you don’t have the time to spare yourself, considering using one of your more experienced workers to train up newer employees. It will not only build a more cohesive team, but it will empower the ‘trainer’ to take on a more responsible, managerial role – a way to upskill them without lifting a finger.
Free training resources online
When small business owners think about upskilling employees, it usually means shelling out hundreds of dollars for training – money that probably isn’t in your budget. But thanks to the explosion of online resources, you can now get your team members upskilled without spending a cent.
There are heaps of free training resources online that can boost the skills of your hospitality employees. Spend a bit of time Googling for the best websites, and then give your team members some homework for the week. You could even incentivise the process by mentioning that any self-taught skills will be considered for a pay bump at their next annual review.
Teach employees to use online tools
Beyond learning new things online, your employees can use the internet to improve their work lives. Teach them how to use an online solution to apply for leave and manage their timesheets – so you don’t have to.
You can even start using an online communication tool where you can stay in touch with your whole team no matter where they are. Posting messages about upcoming work events and announcements has never been easier – and it’s a useful skill everyone on your team will be able to learn.
Traineeships and apprenticeships
When you want to take things up a notch – because, after all, your employees are the beating heart of your business – you can take advantage of traineeships and apprenticeships. Give your team the skills they deserve by investing in their future.
Upskilling employees in this way is also a great strategy to improve retention. If you show your team members you truly believe in what they can do, they will be more likely to stay with you over the long term. And best of all, you don’t have to lose workers for months at a time while they are away studying. Plenty of traineeships now take place online, so employees can learn new skills when they’re off the clock.
From workplace mentoring to online training courses, investing in the future of your employees is guaranteed to pay dividends now and in the long run.
Get started with Deputy today! Try our free 30 day trial, to make loving your business even easier.
The post Is it time to upskill your team? appeared first on Deputy.
