Pizza Today - February 2022 - 16

BUILDING BLOCKS N I C K B OG A C Z
that display how many years of service a
particular staff er has, recognizing their
contributions and building on our team
atmosphere.
Contests
Th ere's nothing wrong with a little
friendly competition, so we run internal
contests throughout the year. Th ey
might be individual or location based. For
example, who sells the most of a specifi c
product? What store puts together the
best holiday decorations? Rewards might
be gift cards for an individual or taco parties
for a store. We've found the staff looks
forward to these programs throughout the
year.
Events and trips
Beyond any recognition or contests,
staff ers most look forward to our summer
Strategies to Incentivize Your
Staff and Promote Retention
A
mong the most signifi cant
business consequences of the
pandemic is an epidemic - a
hiring epidemic. While we haven't been
immune to this nationwide problem,
we're weathering it better than other
restaurants, so I am frequently asked how
we have a relatively full staff . It's because
we not only focus on hiring, but on staff
retention.
You cannot merely pay lip service to
these items. If you've been keeping track
of Building Blocks, you'll recall we discussed
the process of providing your staff
with regular pay raises, which remains
important even in lean times. However,
just as essential is making your employees
feel valued and appreciated by listening
and acting on their needs and concerns.
Many times, in fact, we have shifted our
pay scale, hours of operation, items on
the menu and the way we do business
just from listening to our staff .
But another strategy that benefi ts both
employees and your business is developing
incentive programs. Here are three
easy ones you can get cracking on ASAP:
Recognition
Employee of the month programs,
honoring someone who gives an extraspecial
eff ort, are tried and true. It's
special for someone to see their picture
hanging in the store, but we add a bonus
reward with a $50 Visa gift card, which
gives a little more motivation to win the
award. For our manager of the month
program, we provide a $100 gift card and
special shirt that makes them a member
of our " Caliente Wolfpack. " Beyond the
monthly programs, we hand out shirts
picnic event. Every year, we close shop for
a day and gather at a local park for live
entertainment, bouncy houses, beer and
food. Th e staff can bring their whole family
to this event. Th e only thing to match
it is our holiday party in December. In
previous years, we've rented bowling
alleys, restaurants and even a ferry boat for
the event, providing an open bar, buff et,
music, door prizes and (the staff favorite)
karaoke. We also hand out individual
awards - more than 20 of them in the
past year - with the prizes ranging from
pro sports tickets to vacations.
My personal favorite incentive is bringing
staff ers along to industry conventions.
As many as 24 employees have joined our
leadership at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas or
Atlantic City, and we provide our guests
with meals, transportation and entertainment.
Each
of these eff orts play a role in
encouraging employee retention, but they
are hardly the only strategies. Get creative
for your own. Remember, hanging on to
the staff you have is as important as bringing
in new talent. And in the next edition
of Building Blocks, we'll break down the
other half of the equation: how to stay
active in hiring every day.
NICK BOGACZ is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh. Instagram: @caliente_pizza
16 / PIZZATODAY.COM / FEBRUARY 2022

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Pizza Today - February 2022

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