Pizza Today - December 2017 - 98

Mike's Monthly Tip
MIKE BAUSCH

Effective Orientation
and Training

hat is your training
program? Is it jumping
into the fire and trying
to not get burned? Is it "just follow this
guy for a few days?" Maybe it's not as
abrupt as that, but is it the best investment it could possibly be? The truth is
that training is an investment, and you
get back what you put in. So here are
some tips and suggestions that we do at
Andolini's to ensure our training is
effective (bear in mind, nobody is
perfect on day one and this should take
time to get right).
If you're small and starting out, the
simplest base for all training should be
to first show in detail. Verify how to do
every task. I'll use making a pepperoni
pizza as an example.
* Trainee is shown by trainer how

9 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

to make the pepperoni pizza while
explaining every action in detail.
* Trainee now recites back everything
that needs to be done before they start.
Trainer either confirms what they said
or corrects them.
* Once trainee can verbalize what
needs to be done, they can then, and
only then, do it.
* Trainer then reviews what they did
right and wrong, until it is done without
any trainer intervention.
If it sounds like overkill, I would
advise you that until this person can
do every task without oversight, they
will absolutely, without a doubt, cost
you money in added labor or lackluster
execution.
IF YOU ARE A LARGER ORGANIZATION,
IT HELPS TO HAVE TRAINING streamlined

with dedicated trainers that train all
staff from all stores in your area. This
way you have one point of contact
for updates and one person directly
responsible for the training results.
Several successful businesses beyond
just pizza places do this. They have
training locations that centralize and
make training the focus.
Orientation is also extremely
important. Orientation should be
done by another dedicated individual,
preferably someone who deals with
payroll, is upbeat and represents
your values well. This person should
handle these tasks:
* Read your employee handbook
in detail, highlighting things that are
need to know items and clearing up
expectations.
* Ensure new hires are logged correctly into your POS, online scheduler, payroll system and any other
functionalities.
* Get them uniforms and all
materials they need for their day one
of actual training. (This is preferable
to a trainer on site shuffling through
boxes of shirts in front of the trainee
on their first day of work).
* Go in detail on all legal things
like sexual harassment training and
your alcohol service policy.
* Most importantly, have the new
hire sign acknowledgments of understanding and read all things related to
their empowerment, such as NDA's,
policies and government forms like
I-9's and W-4's.
Harvard Business Review and
countless studies will support the fact
that having ZERO ambiguity, and
a clear path to success, leads to high
employee retention and staff seeking
to excel in their job rather than look
for their next option. ■

is the owner of Andolini's
Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a
frequent speaker at the International
Pizza Expo family of tradeshows.
MIKE BAUSCH

JOSH KEOWN

http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - December 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - December 2017