Published on 23/10/2020 by Any Business.Com.Au

Hiring and Managing Bar Staff

Build Your Team: Hiring and Managing Bar Staff

Now you've got your bar up and running, it's important you get the right team behind you to help you and your business grow. A successful bar will be as much the staff and their attitudes towards work and the customer as it will be about the quality of your cocktails or the range of your craft beers.Looking for a bar or nightclub of your own? Browse our bars & nightclubs for sale today!Hiring and managing the best workforce you could have will make your life as a business owner easier, and knowing you have plenty of people you can trust on the journey with you is very important. But finding the right people to work with you can be a tricky and drawn out process. Here are our best tips for hiring and managing your bar staff.

Securing New Staff

Even though you're hectic getting everything off the ground, it's worth investing a decent amount of time into hiring the right staff members and building a great and passionate team.Before you buy the business, make sure you have assessed the bar's current staff. You may lose some staff once you've bought the business due to clauses in their contract, or they may not want to work under a new owner, so it's important that you sit down with each member and see where they sit.This will also help you identify skill shortages in the business – maybe you need more experienced bar tenders or you don't have enough service staff to clear tables and keep the bar clean and presentable. You can hire according to those skills.

Where to advertise

To find the best staff, you'll want to advertise as broadly as possible. Many people who apply for the job won't be looking to make a career out of it, and may be studying or saving up to travel, so your strategy doesn't need to be too over the top. But still try a few different avenues.If you want to find people who are passionate about your bar, try advertising on your social media pages if you have them. There you'll reach people who might already be customers or regulars, and already love your business.Advertising online through specific job websites such as Seek or Gumtree are a great way to find a broad range of job seekers.Other advertising avenues include:Simply HiredJob SeekerIndeedSearch for the type of position you're trying to fill and look at how other companies are advertising. Make your business stand out with a concise but detailed position description, and remember to include some details about your bar, including its tone and feel, its values and the personal attributes of the new staff you're hunting. People are more likely to apply if you present a well-written position description that speaks about your brand and your people.As you serve alcohol on premises, your staff will need a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) qualification. You will need to decide whether this is mandatory to apply, or if you will be willing to provide the training for the staff you hire.

Who to hire

While experience and qualifications are impressive, make sure you pay particular attention to the personal characteristics of the people you interview. Everything from presentation to their handshake and smile makes a big difference in assessing each candidate's attitude towards work.Even if you're hiring for a casual bus boy position, you should still expect your interviewee to come in with a big smile, good manners and neat presentation.It is a good idea to hire one or two extra casual or part-time staff so if the fit isn't right (which is often isn't with new staff) you won't be forced to go through the whole process again. Offer your staff a two to three month probation period so that you can make a proper judgement on their performance before offering them a permanent or regular contract.

Managing your staff

Once you've got your excellent team of passionate staff in place, you need to make sure they've read, understood and signed their employment contracts.An employment contract will set out the expectations and guidelines both parties have towards the role, including performance expectations, minimum ormaximum hours, and their entitlements. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides a number of templates you can access to help you hire, contract and manage staff. View them here.The Fair Work website is also a great resource for learning about hiring and managing staff. It includes guides on your legal obligations as an employer and best practice for managing staff.

What to pay your bar staff

The rights of your bar staff are governed by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010%20Award%202010&DOCUMENT_CODE=MA000009).You cannot pay any employee less than the minimum standards set out in this Award, so it is important you read it closely and know what is expected of you as an employer.Depending on the conditions of employment, you may also need to provide sick and annual leave and contribute superannuation, insurance and payroll tax, which could increase the dollar amount you spend on wages and staff.Every Australian worker is also entitled to the minimum conditions of employment set out in the National Employment Standards (NES). You can read ourcomprehensive article on the NES here.

How to improve staff productivity

It's all well and good to just pay your staff and hope they turn up, but the best way to get the most out of your team and make sure they're as productive as possible is to provide plenty of opportunities for ongoing training and team feedback. Remember your staff are a monetary investment, so to get the biggest return you will also need to invest some time into making sure they know what they're role is, are given opportunities for regular two-way feedback, and have the opportunity to grow within your company.As a bar owner, it might be worthwhile investing in added hospitality training for your staff and offering the option to complete a Certificate III or IV in Hospitality. Often if you do choose to provide additional training there are financial incentives for business owners. You can find listings for localtraineeship workshops, events and services on the Business.gov.au website.

Keep your staff happy!

One of the best ways to promote a positive atmosphere in the workplace is to simply do your best to keep your staff happy. Obviously you'll need to use good judgement and provide staff benefits, but making sure your staff love coming to work means your customers will love being served by them!Supply rewards for outstanding work, have an open door policy and treat your team like a family. Hold a couple of relaxed social events during the year to allow everyone to unwind and get to know each other. And most importantly, if a staff member comes to you with a problem, listen with an open ear and do your best to fix it!

Ready to Buy?

If you're interested in owning a bar or nightclub, browse our listings today.To learn more about owning a bar, check out the following articles:Australian Bar Licences and Permits You Will NeedTop Australian Bar and Licensed Venue Industry Bodies You Should Know AboutGet Your Bar the Attention It Deserves with a Killer Marketing Strategy

AnyBusiness.com.au

Mary is the founder of AnyBusiness.com.au. She has a degree in Business from Monash University and been helping showcase businesses for sale for over 10 years. In the course of running her own business and working daily with business owners and brokers she has developed a keen sense of the Australian market for businesses for sale and shares her knowledge on this blog and others such as female.com.au

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