In a fast-paced environment, your internal communications plan has to be on point.
Food establishments are one of the tops industries where communication is key. In this fast paced, high volume world, if there is a communication lapse, for even a few seconds, a mistake is made, the product is wasted or duplicated. A mistake may cause your customer to switch to another location or brand.
Fast food is like an assembly line at a factory if there is something out of whack the whole flow for the day is ruined. Communication is the circuit board, if there is a break in the link, the message can’t be passed along to where it needs to go. It is unrealistic to think that mistakes won’t happen. It is up to you to make sure that there is an internal communications plan in place for when unexpected things happen.
No matter what position you are in — you work as a cashier or you are the CEO of a company — it is important to have an internal communication plan in place and more importantly to stick to your Internal Communications Plan.
Leave the Garbage at Home
This is a saying that my boss would use all day, every day. In the morning when you open the office door, try to leave the attitude at the house. Nothing kills a good productive work day than someone who walks in and is rude to their co-workers for no reason. From the time, they clock in till the time the door shuts behind them try focusing on a productive work day.
As a manager, it is important to work in some positive feedback and reinforcement into your internal communications plan. In the high pace environment, you may not have a whole lot of time to evaluate a situation. With a plan in place, you will know exactly what to say — to your employees who are having a hard time leaving their garbage at home — on short notice.
Fix the problem first hand
Co-workers are supposed to work together like runners in a relay race. If the third person quits during the middle of the race, the other teams have the advantage to win, and the final runner is standing there with nowhere to go but to the bench. If the problem is fixed first hand there is less of a chance that the same problem will come about during the work day.
This is something both retail, corporate, or any industry for that matter should include in their internal communications plan. When conflict arises between two or more individuals, it sets the team off balance. Don’t avoid the problem or the person. Have a plan in place and nip it in the bud. It is important that a manager talks to them their employees calmly about what upset them and work through it as effectively as possible.
For co-workers to better handle miscommunication, think about what you are trying to say and how you want it to come across — free of attitudes and demeaning statements, as well as keeping others feelings in mind. Include a few tips or booklets on proper communication between coworkers in your internal communications plan. Problems and conflict are going to happen but if your team knows how to deal with it ahead of time — thanks to your internal communication plan — the problem will get resolved quickly.
Share Your Plan
It is important to have everyone on the same page before problems arise. Make sure to share your internal communication plans a tool that allows you to see who has read it, like Ving! With Ving, you can include a personal message from you, the internal communications plan, and a quick survey that asks if they understand. This gives you a chance to review with anyone who may not be ready for the fast paced environment. Check out Ving here!
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