Courses » Catering » Study Room Catering » Contribute to effective team work (1G4)
If people are not happy at work due to poor working relationships a number of things can happen. Firstly the person may suffer from stress related illness that will affect their performance at work and their home life. They may start to lose interest in their job and not work to their full potential. This will cause conflict within the team. The person may start to take time off work so putting extra strain on team members. Eventually the person may feel that they have to leave. This could cause a great deal of disruption to the team, having to replace them and train a new member of staff.
Team work
Hospitality and catering requires good teamwork between all departments who are working towards a common goal and to provide a good customer service. If the restaurant is not communicating with the kitchen for instance then the service to the customer will ultimately suffer. Bad service will earn your establishment a bad reputation resulting in loss of custom and possibly your job. Teamwork is important to ensure a pleasant and happy working environment is maintained, work tasks are completed promptly, on time and to a high standard and to present a professional and positive impression to customers. Opportunities should be provided and taken to discuss working practices and any changes to them. This can be done in the following ways.
Team meetings
These should involve the team manager, supervisor and staff and should take place in a quiet place so as to avoid distractions and generate a feeling of relaxation. The meeting should be an opportunity to discuss all work related issues such as changes in practices and allow discussion of problems affecting the service. New ideas can be put forward at these times and discussed openly with the people they will affect. It should not be an all out moaning session. Personal or confidential issues should not be discussed here. This is a chance for information to be passed down from senior managers and transferred back up as appropriate.
Briefings and de-briefs
These should be undertaken at the beginning and end of the shift. Usually your supervisor or manager will designate jobs to be done by particular members of staff. They are doing this to ensure that all areas are properly organised and running efficiently. Essential information should be gained and passed on at this time, for instance liasing with the chef will determine what is available on the menu for that day, or discussion with your manager of expected customers and their requirements. Depending on your organisation these briefings may be recorded in writing.
During work service
During the actual working service information should be passed on to the whole team and other related departments. This will ensure that any potential problems or threats will be identified straight away and solutions can be found so the service is not disrupted or compromised. If you have made a commitment to the team, it should be kept. This could be as simple as you agreeing to make sure all napkins are folded, there’s enough vegetables prepared, ice buckets filled, etc, the list is endless. The point being that if you commit to something and you don’t do it, when it comes to needing napkins, vegetables or ice buckets and they are not available the blame will come back on you and the service will be compromised.
Communicating with colleagues with special needs
The catering industry has over the years opened itself up to a wide variety of people with varying needs. For instance you will not find it uncommon now to be the colleague of a person who has hearing difficulties, a speech impediment, sight problems, mobility problems or indeed a combination of these. You may even work with colleagues whose first language is not your own, they will find it as difficult to communicate with you as you do with them. All situations that may arise from these difficulties will require patience and understanding. Try to remember that people with disabilities also have abilities, focus on their strong points and support them. Imagine yourself in the same situation and how you would like to be treated.
Discuss communication and support needs with your colleague asking the question, how can they help you to help them? Communication is not only face-to-face, this can also be written or over the telephone. Communication at all times should be clear and concise to ensure the correct information is passed on to the correct person.
All of the above situations give everyone in the team the opportunity to contribute to effective teamwork and to work in co-operation with each other. By following the correct instructions you will ensure you complete tasks on time to a high standard, once your tasks are done you can then offer assistance to other colleagues who require support and clarify tasks with line manager, supervisors or the appropriate team member. This will prevent errors and wastage, and most importantly maintain good and effective working relationships.
If you have a grievance
A grievance is an employment related matter that troubles you, perhaps hours of work, overtime payment, training opportunities, promotion prospects, maybe another member of staff or holiday entitlement. Even if you work for a very small employer they will have a procedure or policy for handling grievances. If you were given a staff handbook at the beginning of your employment then the procedure will be in there.
If you have a grievance the main thing to do is remain calm. Try not to get angry and complain loudly to your colleagues or anyone else who might listen. This can be seen as disruptive and unprofessional. Any problems should be discussed with your manager or supervisor as soon as possible without disrupting the service or working day. Chose your moment, ask for a private word after shift. Trying to discuss your problem during a busy period will not be effective for the situation. All grievances should be discussed in a quiet place where you are not likely to be interrupted and you can put your views across in a confidential manner.
Disagreements or conflict with colleagues, managers or other departments
Every working environment has its stresses. Hospitality and catering is particularly prone to stresses that may cause conflicts resulting in disagreements. If you have a conflict with a colleague, manager or other related department then the sooner that conflict is over the sooner operations can return to normal. Be careful how conflicts or disagreements are handled.
If all else fails, the assistance from either another member of staff or manager should be enlisted to help come to an agreeable solution.
Feedback is one of the most important tools anyone can use to develop themselves, if they use it positively and constructively. Feedback from other team members allows you to understand your own strengths and weaknesses, how you can build on these and move them in the right direction and also develop your working relationships with your colleagues.
Development within a team is important for the team and the business to grow and prosper. Training or learning plans should be set in place for individuals to work towards, they do not need to be written down they can be verbal agreements between line managers and team members, but they should be there so you are aware of how you need to develop, so then strengths can be maintained and weaknesses can be improved. This leads to a better working team, personal satisfaction, later progression/promotion and to enhance other colleagues skills and knowledge.
Feedback towards these training and learning plans should be discussed on-going in the workplace, so team members are aware of what they are doing well and not so well. You can get feedback on your work from any of the following situations:
Training and learning plans should be reviewed regularly, it is important to do this so you can see how far you have progressed since you first started on the training and learning journey. It identifies achievements against set targets and further areas where specific training is required, your plan is then accurate and up to date and your development is continued.