Want to get more from your hospitality staffing service?  Who doesn’t!

Whether you work for a banquet facility, industrial caterer, hotel or convention center, you deserve the best from your staffing company.  In February, Penguin Staffing provided a list of five tips to get better hospitality staffing results.  Today, here are five more:

1. Set expectations from the start.  Establish mutually agreed-upon standards for interacting with your hospitality staffing partner at the beginning of your relationship (think order-placing procedures, feedback methods, quality control checks, etc.).  As with any business relationship, setting clear expectations from the outset will ensure clear communication and expedient service.
2. Benchmark performance of your core employees.  Find out exactly what tests candidates who work for your staffing firm must take, and then ask for the test scores of referred candidates.  Establish preferred scoring levels for placements within your hospitality organization, using your own staff as benchmarks.  Finally, encourage temporary employees to take advantage of hospitality training available through the staffing service.
3. Provide regular feedback.  Maintain an ongoing dialogue and honest relationship with your hospitality staffing company, keeping them abreast of changes in your company.  Provide feedback on their service and the performance of their hospitality temporaries.  Meet regularly to obtain their input on what you can do to improve the quality of service and placements.
4. Create a true partner in your success.  Consider involving a staffing firm in your organization’s business planning.  For example, you might want to include your staffing representative in an annual meeting to plan staffing strategies.  Hospitality staffing experts, like Penguin Staff, can offer valuable insight regarding the possible uses of workforce partnerships and outsourcing to manage production cycles, improve customer service and help you hire better.
5. Reward results.  High quality hospitality staffing firms focus on more than filling orders.  They want to help you save time, lower expenses and get work done.  When you find a company that does a great job, look for opportunities to enhance the relationship.  Invite them in.  Challenge them to help you solve your problems.  See what you can do to reward their good results.  Not only will you make your top vendor happy, you’ll increase their commitment to your success.

At Penguin Staff, we know what it takes to:

• improve the quality of hospitality temporaries you receive;
• increase your staffing ROI;
• simplify your staffing function.

Give us a call, and let us help you achieve better staffing results – every time.

When it comes to hospitality staffing, great results don’t happen by accident.

Instead, they occur when an organization like yours develops a strong partnership with a highly specialized hospitality staffing firm like Penguin.  The more successfully we work together, the better your results will be.

If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your relationship with us – and ultimately get better results – here are five tips to get you started:

• Give us as much lead-time as you can.  Sure, we’re prepared to handle your on-call event staffing needs.  But when you plan ahead for upcoming staff requirements, it optimizes your chances of finding the ideal candidate(s) with the skills, experience and traits critical to success.
• Give temporary hospitality staff formal job descriptions.  These descriptions should be well-defined, prioritized, current and submitted in writing.  Furthermore, they should include what you expect in terms of candidate abilities and experience, along with specific performance goals and standards.  This step helps clarify expectations and ensures you get exactly what you want.
• Remember that you get what you pay for.  People (including on-call and temporary staff) are your organization’s most valuable asset.  They should be viewed as an investment in your success, not merely an expense.  So make sure you work with a hospitality staffing firm that takes the time to fill your needs correctly – and not just the lowest-cost provider.
• Train your Penguin Staffing representative.  Tell us about your organization’s mission statement, goals, culture, history and current challenges.  Explain the types of work styles or personalities that fit best in your business.  By familiarizing your Penguin representative with your needs and preferences, we can become a more knowledgeable extension of your human resources department.
• Take full advantage of all we have to offer.  Did you know that, in addition to traditional hospitality staffing, we offer outsourcing services?  Strategic workforce solutions?  Hospitality training?  Invest a little time to learn about our full range of capabilities and value-added services.  At your request, we will gladly arrange for a capabilities demonstration.

Great Hospitality Staffing Starts with Penguin

When you need hospitality employees in Central Virginia, Atlanta or the D.C./Baltimore metro area – think Penguin Staff.  Contact us today to learn more.

Looking to start a career in the hospitality industry?

Need to refresh your skills or learn proper safety methods?

Want to teach your staff how to entertain your guests like a pro?

Whether you’re a hospitality worker looking to broaden your skills, or you’re a hospitality manager who needs to provide additional training for your staff, the Hospitality Training Institute delivers the specific, formalized training you require.  With locations in Alexandria, VA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, D.C., HTI’s highly qualified trainers provide customizable training for a wide range of hospitality concepts, including:

• bartender training
• banquet training
• casino training
• ESL for hospitality workers
• safety certifications

Upcoming Training at HTI’s Old Town Alexandria Campus

(1432-A Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314)

Professional Bartending Course

Intended for those who want a career as a bartender or bar manager, this 40 hour course covers: basics of working behind the bar; learning about wines, beers, and spirits; skills training; classic and modern cocktails. Assistance in finding employment is included in the tuition.

• $399 for five sessions
• Classes run from November 14 – 18, 2011
• Limited availability – register today!

Banquet Training Workshop

This four-hour workshop is designed for both those who are entering the field and for those who have experience but want to upgrade their skills.  The workshop covers knowledge of service standards as well as skills training to get you noticed by the folks who do the hiring.  Among the topics covered are fundamentals of hospitality, buffets, receptions, and plated banquet service.

• $75 for one session
• Class is Saturday, November 12, 2011
• Class fills fast – register today!

Individuals enrolled in these, or other, HTI courses add value, polish, and experience to their service skills – making them more marketable and competitive professionals.  Institutions that enroll their staff will profit from improved guest services, lower employee turnover rates, and higher customer retention rates.

About Hospitality Training Institute

With classes aimed at improving skills for service professionals, HTI caters to all facets of the hospitality industry, from hospitality managers to housekeepers – and everyone in between.  Here, students can learn how to masterfully manage a roulette wheel, mix the perfect martini, or set a proper formal table setting.  HTI can launch a bartending career in under a week, or teach students the fundamentals of food and alcohol safety with ServSafe and TiPS certification courses.

Customizable on-site courses are available for groups of six or more for a flat fee.  Classes are also held weekly at the HTI training facility in Alexandria, Virginia, offering flexible classes to conform to busy schedules.  With affordable rates, working professionals and industry newcomers can start broadening their education and practicing their skills without sacrificing their livelihood or daily commitments.

For more information about Hospitality Training Institute courses, pricing, and scheduling, please visit their website at www.hospitalityinstitute.net/HTI or call 703-496-7292.

The National Conference of State Legislature’s (NCSL) website indicates that changes in credit screening legislation are occurring from coast to coast.  Seven states now limit employers’ use of credit information in employment: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon and Washington.  To date, 58 bills in 28 states, including Georgia and the District of Columbia, were introduced or pending in the 2011 legislative session.

Hospitality employers use credit reports as a screening tool for a number of reasons:

• They believe it allows them to predict future behavior based on a candidate’s financial history.
• They are trying to prevent employee theft and assess the applicant’s trustworthiness.
• They want to reduce legal liability and negligent hiring.

But checking a job applicant’s credit is not without its potential drawbacks:

• An applicant who has been unemployed for a long period of time may have no choice but to incur inordinate amounts of debt and fall behind in paying bills.  If the candidate has been out of work for months, that doesn’t necessarily mean he should be disqualified for employment.
• Credit reports fail to provide context.  For example, if debt problems are the result of expensive medical procedures, a low credit score may not indicate anything about future job performance.
• Credit reports are not perfect.  Ambiguous, dated, inaccurate and/or redundant data create the potential for credit score errors.  While these errors are generally minor, employers should be aware that they exist.
• Credit reports may not be relevant for the job in question.  Unless the person you’re hiring will have access to sensitive financial information, make financial decisions or handle money, a candidate’s credit report may be of little significance.

Eliminate Credit Check Liability with Penguin Staff

Given the rapid changes in credit screening legislation, checking applicants’ credit can be risky business.  To reduce your liability, trust Penguin Staffing to find and screen the right banquet and kitchen employees, hotel front desk or other hospitality professionals for your organization.  We combine our industry experience with a comprehensive screening process to ensure you receive only the most highly-qualified and trained professionals for your hospitality positions.