5 ways FSDs can work better with HR

As staffing shortages worsen and open jobs go unfilled for shift after shift, it’s reasonable for tensions between foodservice and the human resources department to mount. However, HR is not your enemy, says Dave Reeves, director of hospitality services at Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare in Elmhurst, Ill. “In fact, they could be your biggest ally,” he says.

Here are five ways he and other FSDs recommend for getting HR on your side.

1. Staff crossover roles

At the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, a training manager straddles foodservice and HR. “She is part of the hospitality team but has a dotted line where she goes over to the training and development team,” says Kris Klinger, USC’s assistant vice president of retail operations. “It works because it’s like we have an advocate for us, but she also advocates for their needs.”

2. Communicate, constantly

At the first sign of an issue with a current employee, Cyndi Roberts, food services manager at Saint Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill., makes a call to HR. “Nothing should come as a surprise to your HR team, or your employee,” says Roberts. She sets up meetings with HR and employees to keep both parties in the loop.

Klinger has a standing meeting every week with USC’s director of HR to make sure the departments are working together. USC also has “alliances” where representatives from marketing, culinary, training and compliance meet once a month to discuss system implementation.

3. Do the work in-house

The Nutrition Services Department at Lees Summit R-7 School District in Missouri posts its own job openings via a software system and signage. A foodservice coordinator then oversees the hiring process. “It works better for us to do the interviewing because we are upfront about what the positions consist of and what the job duties are,” says Lori Danella, nutrition services coordinator. In the hiring process, Danella says, HR just processes the paperwork.

4. Create shadowing opportunities

To make sure HR understands foodservices’ work and knows the kind of person and skills needed for different positions, Martha Rardin, director of nutrition and dietetics at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville, Ind., engages her human resources representatives to shadow members of the nutrition department. “The representative shadowed [nutrition staff] and gained a better understanding of the pace and the physical nature of the work.”

5. Appeal to their stomachs

If all else fails, feed them, says Istvan Abdai, director of hospitality at The Garlands in Barrington, Ill. “People tend to like to eat,” Abdai says. “So occasionally bringing them treats and involving them with taste testing goes a long way.” Taste testing also brings them into the kitchen, so they get a firsthand idea of the action in the operation, he says.