Enough with showing up to work early, working under pressure all day long, staying late, and doing it all again the next day. Something has to change.

Restaurant training manager Omari leads a small team that struggles with burnout and poor work culture. He was tasked with finding a long-term solution.

Over a decade in various restaurant roles gave Omari insight into the root causes of many of the restaurant staff’s issues. After asking for employees’ input on the biggest issues, Omari discovered five key areas that needed major work.

Team Challenges

The restaurant was not operating efficiently due to an unstable workplace culture, a lack of support for employees’ well-being, and stress. The following needed to be addressed in the team training chosen by Omari:

Managers find it difficult to build a consistent team culture, particularly when turnover is high
Minimal training makes employees feel undervalued and like there are few or no opportunities for advancement
The fast-paced and high-pressure environment quickly leads to burnout and stress
Fatigue due to the physical demands of the job
Unhealthy work-life balance due to irregular hours and demanding schedules

Why GettaMeeting?

Omari decided to utilize GettaMeeting for his team training because it prioritizes employee empowerment, team building, and wellness of all types of teams. The promise of boosted productivity and time saved was a huge bonus, as Omari kept very busy and had limited time to prepare for training.

He decided on the “Improve Time Management: Rapid Refocus” meeting module from the Leadership Development Series because it included topics directly related to Omari’s concerns. From the meeting, team members (and Omari himself) would:

understand how to move quickly from one activity to the next while minimizing distractions
determine the best uses of their time
learn how to complete projects faster
discover how to create opportunities to experience a better quality of life

...and more

The Huge Impact Training Made on The Team

Preparation

Because restaurant staff often worked either morning or evening shifts, Omari decided to host the training session twice, once for each shift.

He purchased and downloaded the module and then ordered essential takeaway items, like notebooks and pens for each team member, from the Enhancements PDF provided.

He chose two of the suggested team-building games and ordered the few items needed for them, plus four of the suggested prizes (two for each session).

Facilitation

About a week later, Omari dedicated a day to training. He gathered the morning shift an hour before their usual shifts and the evening shift an hour after closing to facilitate the quick yet impactful meeting twice. Omari began each meeting by passing out the notebooks and pens before playing the presentation video, pausing after each topic to follow the icebreakers and prompts.

After the video ended, Omari quickly transitioned into the team-building games. Once prizes were awarded, Omari asked his team how they felt about the meeting and what they appreciated about it. A common theme from his team was that the meeting felt refreshing - not like the other meetings they were used to. The employees actually enjoyed the activities and could understand and absorb the new knowledge because of the thorough video and consistent theme.

Results

The days and weeks following the meeting shocked Omari. He saw his team become more efficient, motivated, and level-headed. Major issues became minor and, in some cases, were resolved. The biggest shifts Omari recognized following the Improve Time Management module were:

Tasks were completed quicker, which made the team feel more prepared when opening the restaurant, and the closing shift started going home earlier due to a more efficient closing process. This helped the team find a better work-life balance.
Fewer employees called out of their shifts because of sickness and burnout.
Higher morale and quality of life among all employees.
Less dependence on management and leaders for guidance, more independent and collaborative problem-solving

Not only did GettaMeeting’s comprehensive module solve the restaurant’s biggest issues, but it also set a new tone for the team that granted employees feelings of control, autonomy, calm, and collaboration.

Because employees left earlier, few employees called out of their shifts, and problems were solved preemptively rather than after the fact, the small restaurant's profit grew a shocking amount within a short period of time.

Omari and his team prove that using a cost-effective tool to encourage happier, healthier, and higher-skilled employees can boost the bottom line.

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If your team needs easy, accessible professional development options, head to our Modules page to find the perfect modules for your team!

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