Wrkio Blog

Servers are an integral part of any restaurant. They take orders, receive payments and carry communications between kitchen staff and customers. Most importantly however, it is their job to interact with the customers and make them feel welcome.

You might wonder why a business would need to hire servers on short notice. Most of the time it is due to an unexpectedly absent employee. When servers miss a shift it affects everyone. Teammates feel it, so does management and customers may also suffer slower service than they are accustomed to.

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Unfortunately it is a common thing for people to miss work or to quit altogether. The restaurant industry in particular has been reported to have the highest employee turnover in many countries. According to the US Bureau of labor statistics, the turnover rate increased from 4.8 % in 2020 to 6.9% in 2021.

Why a business may end up short staffed and in need of qualified servers fast

Workers being snapped up by competitors

Qualified servers may be few, which means that they can be snapped up by a higher paying competitor at the last minute, leaving you short staffed. This is particularly rampant during busy holiday seasons. This situation is made all the worse if the server doesn’t bother to let their manager know they will not be showing up.

Servers calling in sick

A sick day is inevitable from time to time. But since it happens abruptly, a business can find themselves needing to hire qualified servers fast. This problem becomes exacerbated when workers call in sick repeatedly even when they are not sick.

They may do this to get a day off to relax or to take care of personal matters. This will derail the restaurant’s work flow particularly if it is a repeated occurrence. If a manager observes this behavior, they should take steps to address the absenteeism in order to minimize the need to hire staff on short notice.

No good reason

It is also possible that employees will not show up for shifts for no reason at all. Perhaps they overslept or just did not feel like working that day.

What to do when an employee misses a shift

It is important to address servers missing shifts to mitigate the downsides. Here are some tactics you can use:

• Reward good attendance
• Offer flexible work options
• Give staff a day off to tend to personal matters
• Keep communication open

Even with the above tactics, you might find yourself abruptly short staffed. For the good of the business, managers should have ways to hire restaurant servers quickly should they need to.

How to hire restaurant servers quickly

Look to your existing staff

Your staff can be a powerful resource if you are looking to hire restaurant servers quickly. They might have a network of other restaurant workers who are in need of work or can recommend someone qualified.

Some businesses formalize this arrangement by creating an employee referral program. With a referral program, employees get rewards for referring qualified candidates. To make sure your referral program is successful:

• Include a number of attractive rewards, both monetary and non-monetary.
• Keep employees updated about the recruitment process. If you say nothing, they will be discouraged from referring candidates in the future.
• Remain open to employee feedback about the referral program

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A referral program can offer a number of benefits to the business beyond speeding up the recruitment process. It is cost saving and helps to improve employee engagement. Retention can also increase, reducing your need to hire restaurant servers quickly in the future.

Additionally, your new servers will come into a workplace where they already know a familiar face and have someone they can turn to to help them learn the ropes.

Use a staffing platform

Part time and hourly workers can help to supplement your human resources when you are suddenly short staffed. Partner with a staffing agency or join a staffing platform to put up job postings as soon as you need severs.

An agency or a manager of part time workers will have a pool of pre-vetted talent that they can deploy on short notice. This reduces the time you will need to write job descriptions, look through resumes and interview people. With a staffer or staffing platform you might even be able to request your favorites and have servers on short notice who are already familiar with your business.

Hire a freelancer

When looking to hire restaurant servers quickly, look to the freelance job market. These temporary staff can be helpful on short notice. In addition, they are more cost effective to hire because you may not have to pay for their taxes or benefits. And unlike with a recruiting agency you do not have to part with a management fee.

Ensure to keep an updated database with the freelancers’ contacts and information. The database should be accessible to all managers.

Make use of zero-hours contracts

A zero-hour contract is when the relationship between employer and employee doesn’t guarantee a specific number of work hours. The employee can work any number of hours and these can be offered even at short notice.

With this type of arrangement a manager is able to hire restaurant servers at short notice and perhaps even for a short time. These kinds of workers can help to relieve the immediate pressure of a staff shortage and give the business time to arrange for more long term staffing solutions.

Improve your job ads and expand the reach of those ads

To attract qualified restaurant servers fast, you will need to have a well-crafted job ad. It should be clear and speak to the key skills you are looking for. This will help you avoid the trap of getting a lot of unqualified applicants. Remember, you want to fill the position fast. You only want to be looking at relevant applicants.

In addition, when posting your ad, think outside of the usual job posting avenues. Job boards and professional pages are great but you can go beyond that. Leverage social media including communication platforms like WhatsApp to reach a wider group of candidates.

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Social media serves a second purpose when you want to hire servers. It gives you a chance to vet candidates. You may be able to view their previous work experience and on platforms like LinkedIn, you will be able to see skills endorsements they have gotten from others.

If you wish to reach even more candidates, boost the job ad post on social media. You will be able to get more candidates than you need but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If they are qualified, add them to your database for your future staffing needs.

Make the application process easy

Having a great job ad is just a part of the journey. In order to hire qualified restaurant servers fast, you should have an easy application process.

Skip the 3 step application process and make it fast and accessible. If it isn’t, candidates who have several choices of restaurants to work at might move on to a simpler application. Make it even better by making it possible for people to apply on their mobile phones.

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Depending on your type of business, you may be able to get away with asking candidates to record a video application. Ask them to answer pertinent questions instead of having them write an application letter. This will also reduce the amount of work required by the interviewer or human resource staff.

Another way a video application serves you is that it gives you a glimpse into how the candidate communicates. Communication is a key skill for servers in a restaurant.

Ensure a great interview experience

In today’s job market, the interview is a 2 way process. That is, the candidate interviews the interviewer as well.

The interview may be the first interaction a candidate has with your restaurant, it is important that you put your best foot forward. If the interview experience is positive, it signals that the work environment will be positive as well.

Recruiters need to be mindful of how they communicate and what they say. Show candidates that they will be valued and that they are coming into a supportive work environment and you will minimize people turning down the offer after the interview.

The interview, just like the application process, should be short. Having 3 rounds of interviews is not ideal if you are hoping to hire restaurant servers quickly. An option you can explore to expedite the process is online interviews.

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Offer a sign on bonus

Attract qualified servers by offering a sign on bonus. This is a one-time fee offered to employees when they start a job. It is normally offered to permanent staff but the terms can be customized for part time workers as well.

In addition, other benefits can be given to entice servers to take on work fast. They may include monetary and non-monetary benefits such as; paid time off, paid healthcare, childcare support and continuing education support.

Increase morale and retention by offering a particular set of benefits to servers who remain on the job for a longer period of time.

Consider factors outside of skills

Skills like communication, team work and attention to detail are key for one to be a good server. But if you want to hire servers fast you should also look at other factors that are not related to skills. For instance, how far a candidate lives from the restaurant.

A server who lives close by or studies in the area may be a better fit if you are hiring restaurant servers quickly. A shorter commute can support and improve attendance.

You might, for instance, be able to forego a candidate with longer job experience for one who is willing to learn on the job and is available on short notice.

Promote from within

Could your bus boy be a great server? Promote your existing staff to servers if you want to hire servers fast.

One way to tackle a staffing gap fast is to look at your staff. Servers need to have specific skills like the ability to comfortably and knowledgeably communicate with your customers. If one of your staff members has this skill, promote them to fill the urgent need for a server and then recruit for their role. For instance, hire the bus boy as a server and then recruit for the position of a bus boy.

Promoting from within the company ensures you will get an employee who already knows the ins and outs of the restaurant and can hit the ground running. Your staff engagement and retention will also see an uptick when staff see that there are opportunities for professional growth.

Rely on tech

Leverage technology to speed up recruiting and to help you zero in on the candidates you need. Screening, when done manually, will involve looking through resumes to select the most promising candidates. If the applications are many, you will have to go ahead and commit more human resources and man hours to this task.

An applicant tracking system will help you select only the candidates who meet the parameters you want. The right tools can be employed to manage other tasks like scheduling interviews and sending rejection emails. With a faster recruiting process you can hire restaurant servers faster.

Conclusion

Having less servers than are needed, especially during peak seasons, is a situation no restaurant manager wants to be faced with. However, it may happen from time to time. To get ahead of it and prevent any disruptions, prepare a contingency plan.

It may include a list of agencies you can call for a fast hire, maintaining networks of workers in the restaurant business as well as having an open relationship with your servers.

With a good relationship, servers will be able to let you know when they will be absent and even help to get someone to fill in for them fast. Having this in place will keep your restaurant running smoothly.