Welcome back to another edition of Shop Talk here on Merci Beaucoup's official blog, Happy Sugar Baking Land. I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for the tremendous response to this blog series! You've all been really kind and the compliments etc. make this cake spouse feel very good! And because of all this, I will have a big announcement concerning Shop Talk very soon, so keep reading! Now on to the show!!
Hopefully, you are growing your business at a nice steady pace and developing a strong foundation. If so, this will undoubtedly lead to you needing help. No, I'm not talking psychiatry, but if you need a number for that, let me know;-) I'm talking about the complicated and frankly frightening world of employees! Careful, they bite!
We were very lucky, as you saw on Amazing Wedding Cakes, in that we could turn to our friend and colleague Marc. We knew him both personally and professionally and that we could depend on him to provide Merci Beaucoup with quality workmanship. Unfortunately for all of you, not everyone is gonna have the kind of collaborative relationship to call upon that Reva and Marc share. That means you're gonna have to put on the "big kid" pants and venture out into the scary world of human resources!!
Do Your Homework!
Before you start getting into all the possibilities of being a boss, do your research! There are waaaay too many variables for me to get into in this little blog, but make sure you gather everything you need to properly employ a fellow caker. Double check insurance rates and requirements, payroll regulations, will you be offering any benefits, how do you plan on handling reviews and raises, overtime, breaks and lunches, contracts and non disclosure agreements, non-competition clauses, ADA requirements, and on and on and on. Every city, every county, every state will be a little different on all of this. If you have a lawyer, consult them. Make sure you do everything right as much as possible.
I will offer that an area young bosses make big mistakes is in breaks and lunches. I was a manager at Lifetouch, the school portrait company, and corporate mistakingly advised us on when our crews should take lunch. It was like a 15 minute mistake, but it was a 15 minute mistake that happened every day for 30 employees over 2 years!! Our little territory ended up paying out over $50,000 to rectify that mistake in meal penalties and overtime etc. The simple lesson, do your homework!!! If you don't understand something, ask a fellow business owner or consult an expert. Ignorance will never relieve you of liability in a lawsuit.
Interviews
Before we get to the "who" you should consider for your young "padawan" (Star Wars nerd test), let's discuss the process of actually figuring out if they're the right fit.
My biggest complaint about the world of getting hired these days isn't the internet or the economy, it's that the people in charge of hiring are basically ignorant morons. Is that harsh? No, it's true and if you've had an interview in the last decade you know I'm right. I cannot, no, I can tell you how many times I've been turned down for a job only to find out that the person they hired quit or was let go within a week of starting that position. Five. Five times I've been told I'm not right for the job only to discover they hired the wrong person for the job.
Most "Human Resource Managers" B.S.'d their way into the job or the big boss just handed the responsibility of shaping their company to some low man on the totem poll. They have no clue how to actually read people or evaluate their worth. Here's a clue, if they have a question sheet ripped from "Hiring for Dummies," just walk out.
Don't be that brand of ignorant moron. Do not print out some form from the internet and expect it to tell you anything about the person sitting across from you. This isn't a bank. It's not Wal Mart. We make cakes, a very personal, creative industry, so sit down and chat. Look at their portfolio, ask them about their classes, their favorite shows and cake decorators, their inspiration, get to know them. If you want to ask them to do a little test, you can, but again, I don't know how much that is gonna to clue you into their ability to represent your bakery. You can earn skill, you cannot earn passion and creativity.
Reading Resumes
This section is as much for shop owners as it is a warning to job seekers. I minored in English at university, but I majored in Communications. So, how one attempts to contact me can either impress me or turn me off real fast.
Rule #1: Typos. This is just unforgivable in this day and age. When I see a typo, I either think they couldn't be bothered to proofread their email etc., or the autofill on their iPhone sabotaged them... which they then failed to proofread. If you can't take the time to proof your cover letter, why in the world would I think you were worth hiring?
Rule #2: Grammar. This is tough, because there are cultural and generational divides when it comes to slang and tone and a whole bunch of other things, but truth be told, I'm a grammar snob. I easily trash a dozen emails a week, from potential clients even, because they have written me something so incoherent, so backwards, that I know I cannot communicate with this person. Again, if you don't proof or care about the quality of your English, why would I want to work with you? Not to mention, chances are you're not going to take the time to read the careful email I'm gonna send you back, ignoring my inquiries and directions. Hence, now I'm wasting my time. You're not writing a text, you're not emailing your buddy, this is business. If you can't write in a professional, respectful manner, following the most basic rules of grammar, don't bother writing at all.
Rule #3: Don't pad! I know the difference between taking a class at Michael's and spending two weeks with Ron Ben Israel. I also know what you did in the pastry program at Le Cordon Bleu. Let it speak for itself, don't list your day on sourdough in your skill set! Simple, concise resumes that honor the experience are best. You're not gonna convince me you are a pastry chef after your 4 months at a Panera. Just be honest and let me decide if you have the right experience.
Interns
One positive from the cake boom of the 21st century is that there is an endless supply of pastry school students looking for internships. Use them! We've had a few in the past and they're great. They want to learn and generally understand the importance of doing some of the lower end duties so they can get the total experience. Make sure the local schools know who and how to contact you and chances are, they will. Hit up the junior college and get in touch with your local Wilton instructor.
There are paid internships (do your research!) and that can be a good way to go as well as it will attract better talent, but most interns will be students and will work for free. As such, treat them well! You will need to offer them a reason to be there, teach them something. If you're not at that point in your career, an intern is not for you. You have to offer them value as well as getting free work out of them. Ask them what they want to learn and if you can give that to them, it's a good fit. If they want to learn buttercream flowers and you're strictly a fondant person, neither of you will be happy. Not to mention, it's probably a good idea to buy them lunch once in awhile!
Now, the downside is most of these interns will only be with you for a short time, but there is always the chance you will hit it off and they'll return come graduation!
Freelancers
Another way to go is to find a freelance cake decorator that you can call in when things get crazy. Enter Marc. Marc worked for us on a freelance basis. He actually works for a number of people and if you have the skill and don't want to open your own shop, it can be a fun and exciting way to go. As a shop owner though, if you happen to find a freelancer you trust, you need to set up guidelines concerning the ownership of the work, posting photos online etc. A freelancer can leave at any time, but they shouldn't be taking your intellectual property or even worse, your client list with them! Thankfully, 99% of you will never actually work with a freelance cake decorator, so you don't have to worry about it, but I wanted to make you aware of the option.
The Regulars
Now, if you plan on hiring the traditional employee with the wage and all, do your homework!! Not just the do's and dont's of HR laws etc., but make sure you know your budget and whether or not you need full time or part time, weekends only, all of that. Evaluate your needs. Freelancers can come in whenever, interns can be moved around class schedules and the like, but an employee needs a schedule and they expect a schedule. If they are relying on the job to pay bills, you can't wave them off the day before their shift because you don't have the work or money to pay them. They will quit.
And much like interns, employees need to learn. I'm not big on reality TV (insert your "but aren't you..." comments here) but one show I really enjoy is Tabatha's Salon Takeover. She's a no nonsense business woman and her advice to these hair salons is universal. One thing she always stresses is the need for each salon to have an educator, someone who either once a week or once a month holds a training session for the staff to go over and teach technique. We should be doing the same thing!
A properly trained employee is an asset, one you have to stop and explain things to all the time is a liability. Make time outside of your normal business hours to hold classes with your employee(s) and bring them up to speed. Watch videos with them, learn together, just make an effort to progress their skill. You'll earn loyalty and improve your business. Remember, when they get good, you can take days off!!!
The Bad News
If you take on employees, at some point you will have to unload employees. It's just the natural order of things. Now, I don't know all the rules, and they will vary depending on your state, county, city etc. (do your homework), but make sure you understand the rules for firing someone. And no matter how you word it, you are firing them. Don't dress it up and pretend you're doing them a favor. You're not, but you can be a compassionate human being and give them what they need both physically and emotionally to move on.
At one time I explored a certain MLM opportunity with an insurance/financial institution. I spent a couple days in a classroom setting learning about insurance procedures and while I bowed out shortly after, the teacher was a fascinating guy who had once worked security at a big, west coast Washington Mutual campus with about 400 employees. He would tell me these stories about firing people that were amazing and he got called in to testify often when former employees would sue WaMu. See, there are all kinds of things you cannot do when firing someone. For example, did you know you cannot do it in a room with the door closed? You also cannot sit between the employee and the door. Basically, there can be no blockage of exits!! Crazy huh? He had to testify that that stuff didn't happen. I doubt you'll have these situations in your small shop, but you never know. Do your homework!
Again, I cannot stress enough that human resources is a strange and complicated labyrinth. Not the fun Labyrinth with David Bowie and Muppets, but a murky, confusing one with all kinds of traps and pitfalls to make your life miserable if you allow it. Follow your gut when hiring, and remember that personality and a happy work environment can overcome talent most days of the week. Just do that homework, consult those who know, and make sure your ducks are all lined up in a pattern that ducks would like. I think the row make 'em nervous.
Next week we talk shop about something your shop needs talking to about!!
Another AWESOME Shop Talk. You are definitely lucky to know Marc. If I ever get to the point of needing employees I hope I can hire someone even half as awesome. Actually I wish I could take butter cream lessons from him. He's the king. (and I've told him so LOL)
Posted by: LaGonda | 01 August 2011 at 07:58 PM