{"id":25419,"date":"2021-11-15T01:11:57","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T06:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T10:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T14:44:23","slug":"escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Escape hiring woes with retention strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Spend less time seeking new staff by keeping your team intact.<\/h2>\n<p>The foodservice industry recovery presents good news and bad news:<\/p>\n<p><strong>The good news:<\/strong> 89% of Canadians are looking forward to going out to a restaurant with family and friends again.<br \/>\n<strong>The bad news: <\/strong>The labor shortage is one of the biggest hurdles restaurants have as they plan reopening and growth.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/product\/foodservice-facts-2021\/?utm_campaign=Insider%20E-News&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=169692825&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9O378JZoGU5QncDD37HigTXt_cMYbG1B4oEdsFMQwAIN-Q7dhTAZQGV3A6ySsulcJ5HGMKM73qKitML_af36d9AQXkYA&amp;utm_content=169692825&amp;utm_source=hs_email\">Restaurants Canada survey<\/a> shows 64% of operators expect staffing levels to be about the same or higher than they were prior to the pandemic. With fierce competition to find labour, it\u2019s more important than ever to reduce turnover and retain your best workers.<\/p>\n<p>Hiring is expensive. So is <a href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/make-restaurant-scheduling-work-you\">scheduling <\/a>to cover vacancies, <a href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/practice-3-rs-recruiting-recruiting-recruiting\">recruiting <\/a>job candidates and <a href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/tame-tasks-hiring-and-onboarding\">onboarding and training<\/a>. It\u2019s actually less costly to invest in motivating employees so they will stick around. Here is a reminder of some proven strategies:<\/p>\n<h3>Have an IMPACT on retention<\/h3>\n<p>Your intuition and business skills may not be enough. Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/make-an-impact-on-your-retention-efforts\">IMPACT approach<\/a> to engage employees and remind them why their work matters:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I \u2014 Involved.<\/strong> Deepen bonds by showing you\u2019re invested in the team\u2019s outcome.<\/li>\n<li><strong>M \u2014 Mentor. <\/strong>Guide your team through unfamiliar situations to build confidence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>P \u2014 Pay.<\/strong> Compensate them in ways that go beyond hourly wages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A \u2014 Appreciate.<\/strong> Single out top performers publicly, if possible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>C \u2014 Challenge.<\/strong> Offer opportunities so people reach to perform at a higher level.<\/li>\n<li><strong>T \u2014 Trust. <\/strong>Create a relationship that encourages people to bring concerns to you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Leadership enhances retention<\/h3>\n<p>Most employees don\u2019t quit a job, they quit a boss. Retain employees by being a boss who balances being in charge and understanding human behaviour. Workers are more likely to stick around when you exhibit leadership skills like these:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plan check-ins and evaluations&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Schedule performance meetings to track growth.&nbsp;\n<ul>\n<li>Giving advice builds confidence<\/li>\n<li>Listening to feedback strengthens relationships<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Offer ongoing education&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have open training for food, beverage and kitchen skills.\n<ul>\n<li>Paying for ongoing certifications invests in your team<\/li>\n<li>Building their skills benefits cross-training and promotion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Connect with employees&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes, it\u2019s a business, but it\u2019s not all about business.&nbsp;\n<ul>\n<li>Ask employees about their lives outside of work<\/li>\n<li>Organize staff appreciation activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Offer incentives<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It doesn\u2019t take much to show appreciation:\n<ul>\n<li>Offer a cash reward based on attendance or number of call-ins<\/li>\n<li>Give bonuses based on progress and improvement<\/li>\n<li>Provide a free staff dinner to everyone<\/li>\n<li>Reward people with the choice to work preferential sections, desired shifts, or assign them to lucrative events, like parties or events<\/li>\n<li>Create an \u201cEmployee of the Month\u201d to honour and motivate team members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ask your Gordon Food Service Sales Representative about \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hIjhMObsWXw\">Staff Smarts<\/a>,\u201d our staffing guide to help you manage today\u2019s labour challenges.&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spend less time seeking new staff by keeping your team intact. The foodservice industry recovery presents good news and bad news: The good news: 89% of Canadians are looking forward to going out to a restaurant with family and friends again. The bad news: The labor shortage is one of the biggest hurdles restaurants have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,123,112,69,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Escape hiring woes with retention strategies | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Escape hiring woes with retention strategies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spend less time seeking new staff by keeping your team intact. The foodservice industry recovery presents good news and bad news: The good news: 89% of Canadians are looking forward to going out to a restaurant with family and friends again. The bad news: The labor shortage is one of the biggest hurdles restaurants have [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gordon Food Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-15T06:11:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T14:44:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/labor2_0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cody.rivers@gfs.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GFSDelivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Escape hiring woes with retention strategies | Gordon Food Service","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Escape hiring woes with retention strategies","og_description":"Spend less time seeking new staff by keeping your team intact. 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The bad news: The labor shortage is one of the biggest hurdles restaurants have [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/escape-hiring-woes-with-retention-strategies\/","og_site_name":"Gordon Food Service","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/","article_published_time":"2021-11-15T06:11:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-01T14:44:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/labor2_0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Cody Rivers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cody.rivers@gfs.com","twitter_site":"@GFSDelivers","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cody Rivers","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/fr-ca\/ideas\/echapper-aux-soucis-dembauche-grace-des-strategies-de-retention\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/fr-ca\/ideas\/echapper-aux-soucis-dembauche-grace-des-strategies-de-retention\/"},"author":{"name":"Cody Rivers","@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/#\/schema\/person\/ac2dd585b10d08ce15daca230d897374"},"headline":"Escape hiring woes with retention strategies","datePublished":"2021-11-15T06:11:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-01T14:44:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/fr-ca\/ideas\/echapper-aux-soucis-dembauche-grace-des-strategies-de-retention\/"},"wordCount":460,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/fr-ca\/ideas\/echapper-aux-soucis-dembauche-grace-des-strategies-de-retention\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/labor2_0.jpg","articleSection":["Catering &amp; 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