Even before the coronavirus crisis, restaurateurs were hit hard by labour shortages. Today, in order to attract staff who may be concerned about getting infected on the job, it’s more important than ever to improve their working conditions especially by adopting exemplary health and safety measures. By creating a business culture oriented towards safety, you will be much more likely to retain staff.

Health protocols

• Draft a copy of the rules that personnel must adhere to for both the kitchen and dining room. Restaurants Canada has published a guide to help restaurateurs put health measures into practice.
• Make sure staff members master these measures by providing them with training.
• Appoint a health and safety monitor on each shift to make sure that these protocols are respected and to answer any questions employees may have.
• Ask your staff to closely monitor themselves for any signs of illness and to not come to work if they think they may be sick.
• Plan on taking temperatures before each shift.

Personal protection and social distancing

• Provide staff with personal protective equipment that complies with health authority standards.
• Wearing a mask does not make social distancing unnecessary. Insist that staff members maintain a 2m distance from clients.
• Get serving staff to wash their hands after:
  • Receiving payment;
  • Touching a work or personal telephone or computer;
  • Clearing tables;
  • Cleaning surfaces;
  • Upon arrival for work and after every rest, bathroom or other kind of break. 

Recruiting

• Given safety measures relative to restaurant capacity, hire only as many staff that are needed in order to maintain profitability.
• In the kitchen, promote multitasking with staff members that are versatile and well-trained. This will allow you to operate more efficiently and have more flexibility when scheduling.
• For serving, look for the kind of staff that are able to put your clients at ease and inspire confidence.