Restaurant Employee Responsibilities
Restaurant safety is not management’s responsibility alone.
Employees play an important role, too.
Restaurant employee responsibilities include participating in training, following established procedures, recognizing hazards, communicating problems and performing assigned job duties safely.
Employees should come to work prepared to do more than simply show up.
Showing up is only the beginning.
Restaurant Employee Responsibilities and Training
Restaurant employees have a responsibility to listen, learn and actively participate in the training provided by their employer.
Training may involve food safety, equipment, workplace safety, security, alcohol service, customer service and restaurant procedures.
Employees should ask questions when they do not understand something.
They should also use the knowledge and skills they have developed through experience, education and previous training.
Good training requires participation.
Follow Restaurant Safety Procedures
Another important part of restaurant employee responsibilities is following established policies and procedures.
Depending on the employee’s job, these procedures may involve:
- Food preparation
- Equipment operation
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Hot food and beverage handling
- Slip and fall prevention
- Personal protective equipment
- Alcohol service
- Security procedures
- Hazard communication
- Emergency procedures
Employees should understand the procedures that apply to their job and follow the training they have received.
Recognize Restaurant Hazards
Restaurant conditions can change quickly.
A drink spills.
Equipment breaks.
The plumbing stops working.
A floor becomes slippery.
A customer becomes intoxicated.
An employee notices something unsafe.
Employees are often the first people to see these changing conditions.
Therefore, hazard recognition is an important part of restaurant employee responsibilities.
Employees should know how to report hazards and what actions they are authorized and trained to take.
Communicate Safety Problems
Employees have a unique perspective.
After all, they are the people actually performing many restaurant tasks every day.
In some situations, an employee may recognize a problem that a supervisor or manager has not seen.
Employees should communicate those concerns.
They should also offer reasonable suggestions when they see opportunities to improve safety, health or restaurant operations.
Good communication can help identify a problem before an incident occurs.
Participate in Restaurant Safety
When restaurants conduct safety meetings, training sessions or safety committees, employees should participate.
They should take the information seriously.
Employees may also contribute by:
- Asking questions
- Reporting unsafe conditions
- Offering solutions
- Participating in training
- Following established procedures
- Using equipment correctly
- Communicating with supervisors
- Applying their experience and common sense
Restaurant safety works best when management and employees participate.
Employees and Management Have Different Responsibilities
Employee responsibility does not eliminate management responsibility.
Management establishes policies.
Management provides training.
Management supplies equipment and resources.
Management supervises the operation.
Employees, in turn, are expected to participate in training and follow applicable workplace procedures.
Both sides matter.
Restaurant Employee Responsibilities After Training
Training should affect what happens after the training session ends.
An employee may have attended a meeting.
They may have signed a training sheet.
They may even have passed a test.
But what happens during the employee’s next shift?
Do they follow the procedure?
Do they recognize hazards?
Do they communicate problems?
Do they use equipment properly?
Those questions can become important when evaluating restaurant operations.
Restaurant Employee Responsibilities in Litigation
After a serious restaurant incident, an expert may examine both management practices and employee actions.
The analysis may include:
- Employee training records
- Restaurant policies and procedures
- Safety meeting documentation
- Employee manuals
- Job responsibilities
- Incident reports
- Employee statements
- Surveillance video
- Management practices
- Applicable restaurant industry standards
The objective is to understand what employees were expected to do, what training they received and what actually happened.
Showing Up Is Only the Beginning
Restaurant employees see things management may not see.
They perform tasks management may not perform.
They work directly with customers, equipment, food, beverages and changing restaurant conditions.
That gives them an important role in restaurant safety.
Restaurant employee responsibilities extend beyond arriving for work on time.
Listen.
Learn.
Participate.
Communicate.
Recognize hazards.
Follow procedures.
Showing up is only the beginning.
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