Your employees are crucial to the success of your restaurant. Happy employees will be more motivated and perform better. Unhappy employees are likelier not to do their jobs properly and may leave. Strong teams bring consistency to your restaurant operations, which in turn helps increase revenue and performance.
It can take a lot of work to track your team’s progress among all the other tasks.
Restaurant managers often need to remember to monitor their employees’ performance and well-being, which can significantly impact the restaurant’s overall performance.
How can you make sure that your team keeps a pulse on everyone? This is where regular performance evaluations come in handy.
Restaurant managers can use a combination of a performance evaluation and an employee evaluation form to assess their employees’ performance continuously. This allows them to be up-to-date about their performance.
These reviews are more efficient and effective by including an employee evaluation form.
Let’s dive deeper into employee evaluation forms and performance evaluation.
What is a Restaurant Employee Evaluation Form?
An employee evaluation form is used to evaluate and analyze employees’ performance over time.
Restaurants use employee evaluation forms during performance reviews to assess employees’ performance and clarify opportunities for advancement and development.
This allows employees and managers to provide feedback and strengthen their alignment around expectations.
Why is it essential for restaurants to use an employee evaluation form?
Clarity of information
The manager and employee can use the employee evaluation form to discuss important topics such as current job roles and performance, expectations, and other issues. They can share their feedback without fear of being punished.
This helps employees understand their strengths and weaknesses and helps them improve their skills. This helps them to be more effective at their jobs and allows them to grow.
Keep track of employee performance.
An employee evaluation form is a written record that tracks each employee’s performance over time. Managers can use this form to assess the performance of employees when they are ready to promote or let go.
These forms ensure that the considerations include all the details about an employee’s performance.
It is also helpful for new managers joining the team as it helps them understand the team through their employee evaluation forms.
Employees can keep track of their performance.
Employees can also use the employee evaluation form to reflect on their performance and understand their contribution to their job. They are required to reflect on their successes and failures. This allows them to evaluate their performance and helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses.
How to conduct an employee evaluation at your restaurant
Make a timeline
There are many steps involved in the performance review process. Before you start, create a timeline that clearly outlines the dates for each step. This will allow you to communicate more efficiently with your team and streamline the entire process.
It would help if you allowed enough time for employees and managers to complete their evaluations. The team should usually be allowed 7-10 days for their assessment.
Instruct and educate employees regarding performance reviews
Before starting the evaluation process, educate your team about the performance reviews’ purpose. To ensure that the evaluation process runs smoothly, clearly define your expectations and give timelines.
Before the performance reviews start, give your team plenty of time to ask questions and clarify doubts.
Self-evaluation can be done by sharing an employee evaluation form.
Self-evaluation is the first step in the performance review. Give the employee evaluation forms to employees. Inform them about the deadline and expectations.
Employee evaluation forms should contain sections allowing employees to share their opinions and thoughts freely.
It is also important to emphasize that evaluations will not be subject to bias or discrimination from the manager’s end.
For manager evaluation, please share an employee evaluation form.
Next, the manager will evaluate the employee. The evaluation form asks employees and managers the same questions about their performance. This is discussed during the 1-on-1 performance reviews.
It is a brilliant idea to review the previous performance reviews of the employee (if they are available) and to revise the goals set for them in the given period. This will allow you to better understand the employee’s performance since the last review.
Your review should be based only on the employee’s performance and not biased.
For reviewing evaluation forms, schedule 1-on-1 sessions
After both the manager and self-reviews have been completed, it is time to schedule 1-on-1 sessions with each employee to discuss their performance.
Managers should use 1-on-1 sessions with employees to review their self-evaluation forms and discuss their performance evaluation.
Managers should be open to constructive feedback. This will help them better understand the employee’s problems.
Based on the feedback, create a plan for the future.
After completing the review, the manager and the employee should be clear on future goals and expectations. Based on the feedback and goals discussed, they should work together to create a plan for the future.
If an employee lacks a skill, the manager may arrange training sessions to help them.
The manager should ensure that the employee is informed of all details regarding the performance review and any new contract.
