Unit 1: F&B Staff Organisation
Staff organization plays a major role in the success of any establishment. It is also important to have well –disciplined operation in an outlet. It helps the management to allocate the right persons in the right positions. An effective staff organization is necessary for service-oriented industries such as hospitality industry. It is important to know some techniques of human handling while managing or organizing staff.
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CATEGORIES OF STAFF
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Every successful organization has different levels of brigades to perform various operations, The food and beverages service personnel can be categorized into three levels.
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Managerial
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Supervisory
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Operations
Managerial staff: This category of staff is on the top in an organizational chart. They are also known as ‘top management.’ This category has lesser number of people who participate in decision-making. They are responsible for the overall performance of an establishment.
Supervisory staff: This category of staff takes the middle part of an organizational chart. They are also called the ‘middle management.’ This category fills about 15 percent of the total number of staff. Their main responsibility is to supervise the lower staff and communicate them the decisions, made by the top-level management.
Operational Staff: This category of staff is at the bottom end of an organizational chart. They are the ones who actually have hands on the job. Most of the physical work is performed by this category. They make about 80 percent of the total staff.
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HIERARCHY
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Hierarchy is a term that denotes the task and authority relationship in an organization. It clearly shows the reporting relationships of the members appointed at various levels of responsibility and also shows formal lines of communication. Hierarchy is a system in which grade or class of positions or authorities are ranked one above the other in an order.
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Need for Hierarchy: Hierarchy basically deals with decision-making power, responsibility, authority, and relationships, between two positions. It helps in introducing delegation level of management, and span of control. Without hierarchy, it is difficult to function smoothly and fulfill objectives of a business. Hierarchy or/and organizational structure is made based on the duties and authority.
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Duties: This is a list of activities to be performed by an individual under the conditions of employment. The duties are determined by the employer and may change from one organization to another. It becomes the responsibility of the individual to deliver or perform as agreed in the employment contract.
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Authority: It is a right to acquire action from others and the ability to get things done. It is only possible when the individual has sound knowledge, skill, and personal attributes. The level of authority is determined by the employer based on the above qualities.
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One should clearly define the chain of command or the line of management when framing an organizational structure. In other terms, this is called hierarchy. This helps in a better assignment, integration, and delegation of responsibilities, and duties.
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Hierarchy chart of a typical restaurant
JOB DESCRIPTION
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This term describes the duties and responsibilities of a particular job position. In order terms, the job description is a list of ‘things to do’ of that particular job.
For example, the job description of a restaurant manager is a follows:
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Responsible for the overall performance of the outlet
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Complaint handling
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Keeping track of guest history and database
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Ensuring smooth operation
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Making day-t-day sales reports
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Checking stock and inventory
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Maintaining service standards
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Other duties such as staffing and safety
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
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This term describes the necessary qualities one should have to occupy a particular position. It means minimum qualities and qualifications one should posses to perform in their area of work.
For example, job specifications of a restaurant manager of a five-star hotel are as follows:
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Diploma course in hospitality.
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Should have worked for three years in lower designations.
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Should possess sound knowledge of the subject.
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Should have good communication skills.
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Should have man management and public relation skills.
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Should have a pleasing personality.
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It is very important for the smooth functioning of a department that one should perform their duties confidently. So, duties must be assigned based on the capabilities of a person. Gender must be considered when assigning duties. Responsibilities can be distributed evenly to avoid discrepancies and complaints, All service stations should have the same number of covers and each station should be allotted to a uniform number of staffs. Duties must be rotated at least once every week to prevent monotony. Change in responsibilities helps motivate the staff members, resulting in high productivity. It also helps the new joiners explore all the areas of work and get trained. For example, a waiter should be rotated through various duties such as linen change, store pickup, station holding, and food pickup. It is also necessary that staff must be rotated though different areas of work. The allocation of staff to a station should be on the basis of the number of covers it contains. There are a few standard rules to calculate the staff and guest ratio.
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There should be one supervisor per station, one waiter for every 20 cover, and one assistant waiter per station. An idle station contains approximately 45 covers.
The above is just a guideline. The numbers may change based on the type of service and staff productivity.
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DUTY ROTA
Duty rota is a format that shows the allocation of service duties to a team of staff members. The main objective of a duty rota is to ensure that all necessary tasks are covered and assigned, so that service may be carried out effectively. And it also ensures that the tasks are assigned in rotation. It can be made weekly or fortnightly.
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An example of a duty rota
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1-Day off
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2-Linen change
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3-Store-pickup
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4-Sideboard arrangement
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5-Dispense bar set-up
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6-Back-area operation
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7-Food pickup
STAFF SCHEDULE
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Staff schedule is also known as ‘shift rota’. It is a format in which the staff members are distributed into different shifts of a day. It also enables to rotate day offs evenly. Any special requests for days off or shifts should be granted as far as possible unless it affects the operations. There are a few points to be considered when making a shift rota.
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Maximum and most efficient staff must be assigned during the peak and rush hours.
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Whenever necessary, overlapping of shifts should be done.
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Off days must be evenly distributed throughout the week.
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Staff must be rotated through all shifts, being impartial to all.
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Days of rush should be kept in mind.
The rota must be duly signed by the restaurant manager, and it should be prepared and displayed at least two days before it becomes effective
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An example of shift rota,
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M-Morning shift
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O-Day off
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E-Evening shift
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B/D Breakfast and dinner shift
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N-Night shift