Exciting HR Audits, really?

posted by Bruce Dodge on November 23, 2011 in Company Programs

Another great system we use to keep track of how well we are keeping track of our people is the annual “HR Audit”.  While this may sound about as much fun as a trip to the dentist, the approach we take makes the day much more enjoyable than just another gotcha inspection.  I let the stores know well in advance of when the audit will be happening and provide them with the tools they will need to be successful.  In the restaurant business, many of the administrative things we have to do from a business perspectivehave little to do with selling burgers and beer.  However, we have legal commitments, as well as corporate commitments to our employees that we need to make sure we are fulfilling.  My goal in doing these audits is to ensure that the management teams know what needs to be done, and then that they are doing it.  Ensuring compliance is certainly an important piece of the HR audit, but more importantly it allows me to spend at least one day per year in each store doing some one on one coaching in all of our HR procedures.

Our audits have two key components.  The first is the “compliance” audit.  This component consists of a checklist of HR legal and corporate programs, to ensure that all are being executed.  Everything from reviewing files to I9s to hourly performance reviews.  By providing the stores with the list prior to the audit they can identify and correct any issues they have, and then I can follow up to ensure they put systems in place to make sure what they fixed stays fixed.

The second component of the day is the fun part, staff interviews.  This is where I get to spend a few minutes meeting with as many of the staff working that day as I can.  We have an interview guide that I use to get a feel for the atmosphere that the management team is creating in the restaurant.  I look for feedback from the staff on morale, pay issues, professionalism, consistency, and what stupid things we may have them doing.  Through these interviews it is always great to see the commitment to doing things right that we at times assume doesn’t exist.  If we are following through on our commitments to the staff, I find that the staff really does want to follow the proper procedures.  But we have to make sure we are clearly communicating those, and then following up with coaching and reinforcing the great behaviors when we see them.  These interviews also give the staff the chance to interact with another “corporate” person, to see that we really are concerned about their well being and value their feedback.  Also, they can hear reinforcement that our mission statement, Creating Outstanding Restaurant Experiences, is a philosophy that permeates throughout the organization and not just a cool catch phrase.

So, while the HR audit may not be the MOST exciting thing we do, I try to make it a day that creates a positive reminder of all of the aspects of our business that are important.