All Press Isn’t Good Press! Debunk The Myth

Ever heard the saying “Any press is good press … as long as they spell your name right?” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know this is no longer true. Consumers are now more informed and care intensely about organizational values and culture. So, think about it. What is your restaurant’s culture, and what is your brand saying about your values?

In recent news, restaurants have been highlighted for fostering a culture of sexual harassment. The Restaurant Opportunities Center United estimated:

• Nearly 80 percent of female and 70 percent of male restaurant staff have experienced some form of sexual harassment from coworkers.
  
  
• Nearly 80 percent of women and 55 percent of men in the industry have been harassed by customers.

What role do you play in all of this? As an employer, it is your job to protect your employees from unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Take a look at some of the affirmative steps you can take to prevent sexual harassment in your workplace, thereby enhancing your company culture.

Train Your Managers

• Make sure managers know how to appropriately interact with employees.
  
  
• Be sure to teach them how to proactively respond to any inappropriate behavior they witness.
  
  
• Hold managers and supervisors accountable for any unchecked harassment

Train Your Staff

• Provide your staff with training to ensure they understand their rights.
  
  
• Establish guidelines and chains-of-command for them to report incidents to, whether anonymous or not.
  
  
• Ensure employees know what acceptable behavior is from customers and upper management.

The answer to all your (potential) problems is: TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE. Use the above as stepping stones to creating the best culture for your restaurant. By taking a few simple measures, you can protect your business from costly lawsuits and protect your employees from an unsafe work environment. You do the math:

Good Company Culture + Positive Press = More $$$$

To learn how you can facilitate these trainings for both employees and your managers, visit www.gotchacoveredhr.com. We will help you get your business covered.