Team Players: How to Spot High-Potential Employees

Team Players: How to Spot High-Potential Employees and Take Productive Next Steps

by Cleo Clark, VP of HR Strategy & Development at Harri

This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Hospitality Trendz.

The hospitality industry is built on people, which is why internal growth is the cornerstone of your restaurant or hotel’s success. If you are failing to promote from within, then you are doing a disservice to your staff and ultimately your business.

Some managers and owners make the mistake of giving promotions to those with tenure, but forget to consider if the respective employee is ready for the responsibilities that come with their new title. There are also cases of management pushing titles onto staff who have no desire to be promoted - which usually ends in terminations and hostile work environments.

As a business expands, the human resources practices must expand as well. Recognizing high-potential line-level employees (cooks, servers, front desk agents, etc.) early on will only help to cultivate the growth of your business as a whole.

So, let’s talk about a few attributes you should look for in that high-potential employee!

Passion:
Is your employee passionate about what they are doing? Employees who are passionate about their jobs are the ones who are usually extremely self-motivated and have a strong desire to succeed. This passion is also infectious and can have a lasting effect on other employees and the business as a whole. I have always found that an employee who has fiery passion is the one who is also reliable and will be consistent.

Great Attitude:
A “great attitude” does not always mean “happy all the time.” Rather, it implies that he or she has a “does whatever it takes” outlook while at work. Every day, service throws curveballs to line-level employees. Whether it’s an on-the- fly catering order in the middle of lunch service or the stove pilot decides to not light before peak dinner service, there are obstacles that can really test employees’ ability to keep calm in the midst of chaos. The most capable employees – those who overcome these obstacles – usually reveal themselves throughout their time working in a restaurant. Finding these employees is not difficult: it’s all about paying closer attention to your staff. Workers who deftly handle challenges tend to go above and beyond in other aspects of service as well. Maybe they cultivate regulars by remembering their names and orders, come in a little earlier, or stay later to get the job done. Positivity is definitely a plus, and if that comes with problem management skills and logical thinking in chaos – even better! These are the employees to watch.

Resourceful:
Is your employee resourceful? Can they look at a problem and find a quick-witted way to resolve it? Are they able to handle your guests with care and concern and find ways to immediately resolve their issues? Do they look at the issues and see solutions - not just problems? In today’s tough economic business environment, we are faced with so many rising costs. It is challenging to run a business in a financially feasible manner. We have all been in that situation where we have to schedule less employees and run tighter shifts. Having that “A-Player” employee working during that tough shift and knowing you can rely on them is such relief.

Exemplary Team Player:

All of your strongest staff should be team players. If you suspect that even one of them is not, it may be time to rethink your hiring strategy. As there are accessible systems to keep track of your employees' performance, your business is only as strong as your weakest employee. For the best ones to rise to the occasion, they must be surrounded by equally good workers. For a management potential employee, you need a team player who can teach others how to play the game. Keep an eye out for ambitious employees: those who go ahead of their stations and are able to help out others who might get in the weeds during a busy service. Hopefully, you will be able to recognize 1-2 employees with the ability to catch others when they fall, and hustle when their team is in need (which is most of the time). Exemplary team players will have good rapport with others, and team members will be able to give instances on when these people have stepped up to the plate. If you see certain employees flourish, especially under pressure, it would be smart to keep tabs on them.

Lastly...Do They Have A “Sponsor?”

As with any business, having sponsors in the hospitality industry can get top-performing employees to higher positions more quickly. Once you believe you have pinpointed one or more high-potential employees, speak to their supervising managers, staff they may have trained, and peers who have worked side-by- side with them. If any of these sponsors jump at the opportunity to vouch for them, it’s a very good sign. However, there is always a chance a manager might fear losing a strong team member, and deny an employee’s clearly high performance (fortunately, this is rare). Be mindful of this, and still be diligent about gaining multiple opinions, and always assure managers that if a leading team member is being promoted then you will allow ample time for them to train their successors. The last thing you need is a bitter manager on your hands.

Career Pathing (Succession Planning)

Now that you see potential in a line-level employee, it’s time to have an open discussion about the management position at hand. Have his or her current manager arrange a time to meet with you. Having coffee or a plain one-on-one works well for this instance, as long as it is a private conversation to gauge honest interest in the promotion. This conversation could go one of two ways...
1. The employee is elated that he or she has been presented this opportunity, and will happily begin the steps for manager training.
2. The team member may be reluctant to leave their team members behind, may have different career goals, or may refuse the position for monetary reasons. Lay out clear expectations, salary range, and benefits of the respective position, and be sure to give them some time to think about it (a week or so is good). The worst-case scenario is that the person turns down the position, and you have to begin the process again.

Product & Feature Updates: 2018 Recap

Hospitality businesses are forced to adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of labor challenges and laws - or face the consequences.

It’s our mission to position hospitality businesses for success. That’s why we're constantly striving to perfect our product.

Below, we've recapped some of our biggest updates so far this year: 

CAPTCHA

Hospitality's adoption of tech and data continues to trend up. To protect our clients, we've added an extra level of security to the login process through a captcha (powered by Google) which will be prompted after 3 failed logins or when suspicious activity is detected.

Reporting Time

Also known as “Call-In Pay”, this tool refers to what happens when an employee reports to work for a shift, but are sent home before the conclusion of their scheduled shift (and therefore are entitled to pay for unworked hours). Our tool automatically calculates the pay that employees are entitled to for being sent home before the conclusion of their scheduled shift, ensuring full compliancy.

Employee Pooling

As labor costs become less flexible, we're here to help. Employees' wage costs can now be recorded at the unit they've clocked into, regardless of whether it's their home location. Overtime & spread-of-hours calculations are accurately calculated on a cross-location basis.

Interview Scheduler

This premium feature was designed for customers with centralized interview scheduling or multiple hiring managers in mind. It includes enhanced capabilities like custom interview duration and location, the ability to assign and schedule specific hiring managers by role, direct applicant interview messaging interface, upgraded open day functionality, and Google Calendar sync. 

Time Card Adjustment Flow

Time Card Adjustment Flow (TCAF) creates enhanced transparency between employers and employees regarding hours worked. When an employer or a manager makes adjustments to a time card, the changes are sent to the employee for their review. TeamLive stores the changes and the employee's response, creating a record of communication and giving the employer the ability to reference their acknowledgment at any time.

Employee Card

Notify employees of time card changes with new shortcuts, features, and layout. Access messages, schedules, and employee availability through icons in the top nav, add more detailed info about your staff, and more.

Interested in learning more? Schedule a demo with a Harri expert!

GDPR and Harri

Next month, we all face a major regulatory change that will impact the way we manage and store candidate and employee data, due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As these new regulations have the potential to negatively impact the processes of attracting talent and manage hiring, we’re working hard to ensure we are keeping our clients ahead of these changes.

What is the GDPR?

The GDPR is EU-wide legislation that will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK. Intended to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU), it also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. The GDPR aims primarily to give control back to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.

Although many companies have already adopted privacy processes and procedures consistent with the directive, the GDPR contains a number of new protections for EU data subjects and threatens significant fines and penalties for non-compliant data controllers and processors once it goes into effect.

While not yet required for the Americas, GDPR requirements apply to each member state of the European Union, aiming to create more consistent protection of consumer and personal data across EU nations.

What is the Purpose of the GDPR?

The purpose of the GDPR is to provide a standard set of data protection laws across all member countries so that EU citizens can clearly understand how their data is being used or raise any complaints.

What are the key privacy and data protection requirements of the GDPR?

• Requiring the consent of subjects for data processing
• Anonymizing collected data to protect privacy
• Providing data breach notifications
• Safely handling the transfer of data across borders
• Requiring certain companies to appoint a data protection officer to oversee GDPR compliance

What is a Data Controller, and What is a Data Processor?

•  Data Controller - A controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data.
• Data Processor - A processor is responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a controller.

Who is the Data Controller in the Harri-Customer relationship?

Job seekers set up personal profiles within Harri which the job seeker can use to apply for jobs with any and all of Harri’s customers. This data is controlled by Harri until the job seeker deletes the profile. The data is shared with Harri's customers when a job seeker applies for a role with the customer. 

The customer then becomes a controller with regards to any other personal data of the candidate added by the customer during the hiring process. As Harri and its customers both make decisions on how the personal data of the candidate is processed, both Harri and its customer are deemed to be joint controllers.

What is Harri doing to ensure compliance?

Harri takes the protection of personal data very seriously, as it underpins everything we do. We continue to take advice from our legal partners, and we have enlisted the support of industry experts to ensure that we remain compliant.

Here is how we’ll support our customers:

• An updated Data Sharing Arrangement to reflect GDPR requirements and ensure compliant data transfer with processing outside of the EU and the EEA.
• New product capabilities to assist in compliance with the rights of the data subject. 
• Allowing you direct communication to our Data Protection Officer (DPO) simply by emailing dpo@harri.com.

Here is how we’ll support our candidates:

• Log-In/Sign-Up Disclaimer: When a candidate logs into or signs up for Harri, they will be notified that you, the client, are using Harri as its provider of applicant tracking software. The disclaimer explains that both you and Harri wish to keep and handle their information appropriately. The disclaimer invites the candidate to visit our Fair Processing Notice for more information on how Harri will use their data.  
• Job Post Disclaimer: When a candidate views a job post, they will be notified that you, the client, are using Harri as its provider of applicant tracking software. The disclaimer explains that both you and Harri wish to keep and handle their information appropriately. The disclaimer invites the candidate to visit our Fair Processing Notice for more information on how Harri will use their data.  
• Career Portal Job Alerts Disclaimer: When a candidate chooses to receive job alerts, they will receive a disclaimer stating that by clicking ‘submit’ they have chosen their consent to use the provided data to receive job alerts relevant to the positions and job types they have selected. The candidates are notified that if they change their mind and do not want to be contacted with this information, they can unsubscribe or update their preferences. The disclaimer notes that you, the client, are the data controller and will only use the candidates’ data as explained in our privacy policy.
• E-mail Signature to Walk-In Employees & Uploaded CSVs: If a candidate is a walk-in, they will receive a notification inviting them to see your Fair Processing Notice. They will also be directed to Harri’s Fair Processing Notice if they wish to learn how Harri will use their data. 
• Fair Processing Notices: We provide candidates with access to our clients’ Fair Processing Notices so our candidates know how you, the client, manage their data.

We look forward to assisting your company in their mission to protect the privacy rights of your employees.

NRD CAPITAL ANNOUNCES MINORITY INVESTMENT IN HARRI, LLC

Private Equity Firm Invests in Next Generation Total Talent Solution for Hospitality Industry

ATLANTA, GA – April 17, 2018 – NRD Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity fund, is pleased to announce its minority investment in Harri, LLC (“Harri”).  The technology company, whose mission is to revolutionize employee-facing technology in service industries through its Workforce OS™ platform, was launched in 2013 by Luke Fryer, and is based in New York City.

The newest technology company to join NRD Capital’s diverse portfolio, the Harri Workforce OS™ platform streamlines the full breadth of the employee lifecycle. A unique aspect of the platform is that it has been purpose built for service industry verticals, with an initial focus on the hospitality..

The software offers a full suite of talent-technology solutions, offer over 30 modules in all, such as candidate sourcing, hiring and onboarding, labor management, learning and performance management. Harri’s clients currently include restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses. With nearly 500,000 job seekers enrolled and 8,300 employers, Harri’s innovative and intuitive platform maximizes efficiency for all parties.

“As leaders in the franchise and hospitality industries, NRD Capital knows the value in acquiring, retaining, and optimizing top-talent, and we’re confident our investment in Harri will assist in furthering the next generation of total talent solutions for the hospitality industry,” said Aziz Hashim, NRD Capital Founder and Managing Partner.

“In hospitality, people are our greatest resource, but also our greatest challenge. Hospitality businesses of all sizes are grappling with the need to offer their employees technology that is built to embrace labor related challenges, and Harri was built to solve that problem“ said Luke Fryer, CEO of Harri. "This round of funding will allow us to accelerate our investment in R&D and go to market capabilities. It will also support the expansion of marketplace and business intelligence capabilities, plus help us grow the community.”

Harri joins NRD’s extensive portfolio of companies across the hospitality, service/retail and technology industries. For more information about NRD Capital, please visit www.nrdcapital.com. For additional information about Harri, please visit www.harri.com.

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About NRD Capital

NRD Capital invests in brands that offer superior products or services and compelling unit-level economics in order to help them strategically grow through the power of franchising. The fund was founded in 2014 by Aziz Hashim, one of the world's leading experts on franchising, with the goal of leveraging operational and financial experience to position high quality brands for accelerated but responsible growth. The differentiated private equity fund takes a unique approach to investing, applying operating expertise and leveraging its wide network of franchisees, in addition to infusing capital in its portfolio companies.

Above All, Remain Calm!

How to Put Out Workplace Fires Without Losing Your Cool

by Cleo Clarke, VP of HR Strategy & Development at Harri

This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Hospitality Trendz

How many of you have been in situations where you start the conversation with, “You won’t believe this...”

Well, in this month’s article, I would like to share with you three stories that you won’t believe.

As you may already know, I have been in restaurant and hotel Human Resources for more than 20 years, and I’ve seen it all. Below, I’m sharing some of my stories in the hopes that I can help others (please note: real names, hotel, and restaurant locations have been left out to protect identities).

Recruiting: You won’t believe this...

It was a hot summer day in New York City. I was a junior HR professional conducting an interview for a Restaurant Manager. I was down to my last two back-to-back interviews, with both candidates sitting in the waiting area.

I am a huge advocate for candidate experience. I believe it is important to ensure that you are providing a positive and memorable experience for your candidate. (Remember: people share their experiences with their friends, review websites like Glassdoor, and their social media followers!)

I completed the welcome and handed the one candidate a clipboard so he could fill out the application (yes, I said clipboard and application - it was a long time ago and the wonderful technology we have today wasn’t available back then).

The candidate proceeded to fill out the application while I went back in to my office to prepare for the interview. About 5 minutes later, I heard loud music playing (I have to admit - it had some good bass). I walked out of my office to the waiting area, only to find one of the candidates with his shoes and socks off, and a mini stereo system setup.

My first instinct was jump in and get my dance on - but that would be inappropriate.

I can only assume that he took his shoes and socks off because he was extremely hot. I asked him to put his shoes back on. His response? “I’m trying to set the atmosphere, so I’m ready for my interview.”

I explained to him that it was not appropriate and unfortunately, we would not be moving forward in the interview process. As I am sure you could imagine, he was not happy and refused to leave, forcing me to call security to have him escorted out.

The Fix: In these types of situations, it is important to stay calm and ensure that you treat the person with dignity. You never know how fast these situations can go south! Be sure to reach out for assistance and to take a moment to think through your response.

Progressive Discipline Matter: You won’t believe this...

I had an employee at a hotel who was a poor performer. We’ve have all dealt with the “Poor Performer,” but this situation was different because he refused to accept that he was a poor performer.

As you know, it is important to ensure you follow your progressive discipline policy. This gentleman was coached, counseled, and managed throughout the entire process. Finally, he was put on a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP. Unfortunately, his behavior and performance did not change. Not only that, he was also a very vocal employee who appeared to have some aggression issues.

The day came when we made the decision based on his choice not to correct his behavior or performance that it was time to sever the employment relationship. We were concerned that this situation would escalate….and escalate it did. The manager of the department had asked me to sit in on his termination. Normally as an HR professional you don’t sit in on terminations unless they are egregious or if you have a concern it may escalate. This method allows you to remain unbiased or give the perception of being so.

With the concern that this situation would escalate, we had a Hotel Security officer situated outside the HR office. We were extremely detailed in all the steps: We reviewed the file, had all pertinent documents ready, and made sure that we were also prepared to hear mitigating circumstances that we may not know about.

As we began to go through the details and talk to this employee, we could see the anger begin to grow in his behavior. The moment we shared with him that he was terminated, he jumped up and used both of his hands to clear everything off my desk. With one swipe, from my left to the right, he cleared my desk - computer and all. He began to scream how we were horrible people and this was all our fault. Fortunately, we had the security officer outside, who immediately came in and subdued the employee, who then began to lunge toward me. At that point the employee calmed down and the security office walked him out of the building.

Fortunately, this situation ended with no one harmed - except for my computer.

The Fix: The important thing to remember here is to remain calm and make sure you are prepared. Trust your instinct and know the facts. As I mentioned earlier, this employee had a history of aggressive behavior, so we were prepared.

Payroll Pay Period: You won’t believe this...

We had over one hundred employees who did not get paid!

As employees, the last thing any of us ever wants to hear is, “Sorry, but we don’t have a check for you.” If you have ever been in this situation you know how daunting it is. Paying our employees and ensuring they’re taken care of them is our number one priority. After all, they are our internal customer.

On a cold winter day, we had just opened this particular operation and we were running the very first payroll (I was not at the location as I was traveling for work). I was in the middle of interviewing a senior candidate for another location for the restaurant group and felt my phone vibrating in my pocket nonstop. I realized that something was wrong, reached into my pocket, and saw that I had about 20 missed calls from members of my HR team, payroll, and ownership. I immediately realized something was really wrong and responded to the calls to  learn that that over 100 people were not paid, and that we had a mob of upset employees.

The Fix: If any of you have ever been in this situation, you know how unnerving it can be. It was extremely difficult for the team to not only face all theses upset employees, but to also not completely understand how this happened.

It turns out that it was a technical issue between our applicant tracking system and our payroll system. We had just rolled out a new applicant tracking system, and there were issues that had not been addressed during the implementation.

We definitely learned a few things from this situation:

1. Always make sure that you follow a detailed implementation process

2. Ensure you follow through on a pre-implementation process.

3. Check both sides and make sure the data is transferring.

4. Complete in-depth testing of your system and the payroll system, just to make sure that everything is functioning correctly.

5. Lastly, check any small details, just to make sure that your ATS is running exactly how you want it to.

These are just a few stories to share the challenges I have faced over the years. There are a few lessons to learn from all of these situations!

The most important thing to remember is this: Always remain calm. This will allow you to think through the situation and come up with the best plan to resolve it.

Be sure to be respectful in whatever the situation is. Remember that you are dealing with people, and they are the your most valuable asset!

Keeping these steps in mind will ensure you avoid having a story that begins with “You won’t believe this...”

About the Author

Cleo Clarke is the Vice President of Human Resources Strategy & Development at Harri. Clarke is a senior HR professional and has held an executive role in the hospitality industry for more than 15 years.