Retention of employees in the Wisconsin restaurant industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify retention techniques and internal procedures that are used in the foodservice industry for hourly employees in the State of Wisconsin. The respondents for this study were members of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA). Their names were obtained from the 2004 membership list which was acquired in cooperation with the Executive Director of the WRA, and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. It was agreed upon with the association and the researcher to survey all members who provided email addresses to the association for its database. The sample consists or rural, suburban, and urban establishments. The survey was electronically mailed with the assistance of the University of Wisconsin-Stout Webmaster's office in August, 2004. The purpose of the instrument was survey restaurants belonging to the Wisconsin Restaurant Association concerning issues on employee retention. Analysis of the data indicated that the turnover percentage in the foodservice industry in Wisconsin was at 75%. There were several key findings to mention. The mean number of years with the respective establishment and the number of years in the industry had decrease from the original run of the survey. Again the rural locations were the largest group to respond to the survey with 74% of the total sample, and again the establishments over 10 years were the category that responded the most. The number of seasonal employees and number of workers in a typical week had increased slightly, and separated in one year's time more than doubled from 1995. It was found that more establishments are always conducting references checks, compared to usually from the previous survey run. Basic food service experience was the favored qualification in 1995, but today managers are seeking those with high school diplomas more. There has been a shift in practices for training employees, it was orientation procedures, and it is now the probationary period. The employee resume is used the most now for screening practices, compared to the interview form the previous research. Empowering employees had a change in what managers viewed as important. Cross-training and making decisions on management's behalf were the two top choices, compared to training co-workers and cross-training from the previous research. There was one significant relationship to note, the percent turnover to the question, as a supervisor, I observe employees avoiding workplace responsibilities. This indicates that as the avoidance of these responsibilities increases, so does the turnover rate.