Staff Matters - Cafe Case Study - UK
During a scheduled visit to a garden centre in 2015 the proposed day's agenda was revised soon after we arrived on site
We discovere
d that a critical situation had arisen in the Cafe that was causing distress with team members and disrupting the running of the Cafe.
The the owner had been unable to resolve issues with one of the staff and was most concerned about the situation. It was apparent crossroads had been reached but the direction to follow was not clear.
After discussion, it was determined we would chat with all the Cafe staff to inquire of their perceived roles and responsibilities and also their thoughts about the future growth of the business.
It only takes one to fracture a team
During this process it became clear that the team were willing and enthusiastic except for one who was disruptive and unwilling to follow business guidelines for the Cafe. This person seemed to have little respect for the business owner and preferred to act on their own ideas.
Their attitude was endangering Environmental Health compliance and had fractured team work. There was hesitance from other staff members to speak up or be fully involved in the cafe processes. It was clear it was a situation that could not continue,
We were asked for advice and a decision by the owner to review the possibility of removing this member of the team was discussed. We directed the owner to a trusted local HR Consultant who immediately guided our client from that morning, through a safe disciplinary process that resulted in the successful removal of the team member,
Today the Cafe is a busy and happy hub in the Garden Centre.
One of the functions of the Making it Happen programme is to assist our clients in all areas of their business to make appropriate management decisions.
As mentors we continually help clients review difficult situations and advise them through our experience and knowledge base. Sometimes when there are potentially legal issues of concern it means signposting them to the right specialist advice to ensure compliant and successful outcomes for all involved.
In this case our goal was to have the right people in the team working with the owner rather than for the owner to ensure their customers would have an enjoyable experience and pass on their satisfaction to friends.