two cents: a singing waiter. keep him or lose him?
One of our non-Arab waiters sings in the restaurant around customers. We talked to him but we keep receiving complaints. Should we just fire him or penalize him?
My policy on hiring and firing is simple: hire slow, fire fast. Choosing the right people from the start is much better than trying to improve the skills of the wrong people. Having said that, once you hire the right employee you need to give him training, a brand culture manual or some sort of guidance that sets expectations. When it comes to non-Arab waiters, many of them are not highly educated, they speak limited English and/or Arabic and they come from completely different cultures. Maybe it’s acceptable to sing around customers in his hometown. Maybe it’s a self-control mechanism to calm himself when he’s nervous. Some people eat, others sleep; he sings.
Before rushing to penalize him or even fire him ask yourself if this employee is part of the right team. Evaluate his overall performance. If you see that he is delivering to standards, then work with him one-to-one. Explain to him the history of Kuwait, the cultural structure, the differences among social classes, and the complex map of the purchase power in the local market. You’ll be surprised how much workers who come to the country don’t know much about its history and culture. Sure, they pickup a few stereotypical statements, but most of them don’t understand the place. As an employer, you have to educate. Why? Your customers can tell the difference. And if you feel that he or others are not worth the effort, then you hired the wrong team…and that’s just my two cents.
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Posted in general, on management, strategic therapy, two cents | 
Tags: culture, firing, hiring, restaurant