November 18, 2015

Danny Meyer's Hospitality Included Program Begins

November 18, 2015/ Christie

In early October, Danny Meyer took the restaurant and hospitality industry by surprise, and announced that he would be getting rid of tips at all of his Union Square Hospitality Group's restaurants, such as, Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke and more.

Today, his initiative will officially go into effect. The first restaurant to undergo the change is The Modern, located within the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown, New York City. Meyer hopes to stop accepting tips at the rest of his eateries by the end of next year.

Diners will expect to see increased prices on the menu. For example, lobster sausage, previously priced at $33, will now cost $44. However, customers in actuality won't be paying any more than before, because they no longer will be paying an additional tip. (The menus at The Modern have already been updated with the note: "The Modern is a non-tipping restaurant. Hospitality Included.")

Tipping has always been a hot button issue in the industry, but lately, the tide seems to have shifted towards being tip-free. Joe Crab Shack, a national chain, recently began testing no tipping at 18 of their restaurants. Others that have adopted the gratuity-free policy include, Per Se in New York City, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Bar Marco in Pittsburgh, and Alinea in Chicago.

The practice has also been picking up in pace due to the growing demands of restaurant workers, especially, back-of-house staff. By dropping tipping, wages potentially will be more evened out across all employees.

Meyer stated in an interview: "We believe hospitality is a team sport, and that it takes an entire team to provide you with the experiences you have come to expect from us. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues—our cooks, reservationists and dishwashers to name a few—aren't able to share in our guests' generosity, even though their contributions are just as vital to the outcome of your experience at one of our restaurants."

See: Danny Meyer Eliminates Tipping from USHG’s Restaurants

(via Zagat)

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November 17, 2015

Increased Holiday Hiring For Chefs

November 17, 2015/ Christie

CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday season brings a temporary employment boost every autumn, and 2015 is no exception. In fact, the outlook for seasonal hiring this year is already favorable, says a new CareerCast report. Whether you're unemployed and seeking a full-time job or just looking to earn some extra spending money over the holidays, now is a good time to apply for one of the many seasonal jobs available. Jobs needed to meet the holiday rush include customer service representatives, parcel deliverers, retail sales and distribution warehouse staff.

Many of CareerCast.com's best seasonal jobs are tied into traditional customer service and retail but restaurants also become busier as they meet the demand for office holiday parties and refuel shoppers.

Retailers are expected to add about 755,000 jobs to their payrolls from October through December, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Online retailer Amazon intends to hire 100,000 seasonal employees this year. While Americans increasingly shift their shopping focus to online distribution, traditional brick-and-mortar business still need extra hands at the holidays. Retail salespersons are always in demand this time of year. And, with Amazon, the largest online retailer bulking up for process of orders, people are needed to help handle the influx of deliveries.

Parcel deliverer is a great holiday job with plenty of opportunities. Industry-leader UPS expects to hire 90,000 employees in the next two weeks. In line with Amazon, that's an increase over recent years' employment.

Retail and food service are obvious cornerstones of holiday employment, but this time of year is a boon for entertainers, as well. We all grew up with Santa Clauses at malls, department stores and pop-up outlets, but the traditional Santa Claus is just one in-demand performer at the holiday season.

And, as many seasonal job-seekers pursue long-term employment at the end of the holiday season, part-time gigs can turn into more opportunities for the future. But whether your goal in finding seasonal employment is a longer term deal, or just the chance to make some additional spending money, know what is expected of you up front. Holiday jobs don't always end on Dec 24. Many continue beyond throughout the return and price-cut season.

The following are some of the best options for seasonal employment in 2015:

CHEF
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
MATERIAL MOVING MACHINE OPERATOR
MATERIAL RECORDING CLERK
PARCEL DELIVERER
PERFORMER
PHOTOGRAPHER
RETAIL SALESPERSON

To see the full report, visit http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/demand-seasonal-jobs-2015

About CareerCast.com CareerCast.com, created by Adicio, is a job search portal that offers extensive local, niche and national job listings from acrossNorth America; job-hunting, career-management and HR-focused editorial content; videos and blogs; and provides recruiters with the ability to post jobs directly to more than 800 niche career sites. CareerCast.com also compiles the Jobs Rated Report (www.jobsrated.com), where 200 jobs across North America are ranked based on detailed analysis of specific careers factors.

(via PR Newswire)

November 16, 2015

How to Retain Your Best Employees

November 16, 2015/ Christie

Hiring is a challenge, but so is making your employees happy and having them stay. When you lose your top talent, it disrupts your business' day-to-day operations and hurts your bottom line. You don't want either to happen, so here are some helpful pieces of advice in retaining your best workers:

#1: Listen to feedback from your employees.

Like your customers, your employees are important too. Hear them out and evaluate their commentary. Suggestions from your employees can be beneficial for your business.

#2: Let your staff know about promotions.

Employees want to have stability, a chance to move up in ranks and room for growth. Also, if people think that if they have a future at their workplace, they tend stay onboard longer. If possible, provide on-going training for staff, so the sense of continual learning is instilled.

#3: Reward and incentivize.

When you compensate your employees properly, they will feel more content working. They will be less likely to leave their positions as quickly as well. Give them the opportunity to earn bonuses at the end of the year for producing great service and effort.

#4: Understand work-life balance.

Your staff have lives beyond the restaurant doors. Be understanding and set a manageable schedule. On average, those who work in the industry full-time consider a schedule of working five days, with two consecutive days off, as a good balance.

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November 13, 2015

Tips for a Professional Profile Photo

November 13, 2015/ Christie

Did you know that a profile photo is a valuable element to your job search on Harri? It can help increase your chances of getting that dream job that you have been chasing after. In fact, you are 7x more likely to be hired.

Although, a profile photo is usually excluded from the traditional paper resume, it is very important to have for your online presence, like your Harri profile. You owe it to yourself, so maximize your job searching efforts. Here's a guide to achieve a professional profile photo:

#1: Size

The ideal profile photo should be no larger than 600 x 600 pixels in dimension. (For reference, that is the same size as an Instagram photo.) If your photo is too small, it can be appear blurry or fuzzy, which is a not a good sign of professionalism. Generally, square headshots are the most popular and can be used across all channels.

#2: Distance

You do not want to appear too close, nor too far. Find a good balance so that your face is in focus. Also, keep in mind that your entire face should be in view.

#3: Group or Cropped Photos

Avoid using group photos with friends and family. Cropping out people from a group shot is not the smartest idea either. Stick to using solo shots, so that you do not have hassle with Photoshop, and cutting out unnecessary people in your photo.

#4: Lighting

A profile photo would not be a profile photo if you cannot be seen in it, so be conscious of the lighting. Take photos in natural light or near a window. Refrain from being in direct sunlight and overhead light sources because they can create dark, harsh shadows.

#5: Pleasant Expression

You want to appear like somebody an employer would like to hire and work with, so put on a pleasant expression. In a natural manner, try to express positivity and confidence. Stay away from posing and the use of hands/gestures.

#6: No Selfies

Keep the selfies to yourself. For your professional profile photo, you will want to have somebody take it for you, whether it be a friend or an expert photographer.

#7: Professional Attire

Remember, dress to impress. Wear something that you would typically wear for an in-person job interview, such as a button-down shirt/blouse and a blazer. Another tip is to stick to neutral or dark colors, like white, black or gray.