5 Ways to Increase Productivity in the Kitchen

How do you increase a business’s productivity? This is the one question that has likely always accompanied entrepreneurs and always will. Whether in hospitality, retail or wholesale, service sectors or the financial industry. All business ventures revolve around this magic word: “productivity”.

In today’s times of skilled labour shortages and generational change, this question is more relevant than ever, especially in the management of kitchens and hospitality businesses. That is why we at Shoes For Crews would like to present five ways that can help increase productivity.

Optimised Opening Hours

Our first tip for increasing productivity in the kitchen is optimising opening hours. The more closely they are aligned with peak revenue periods, the higher the productivity and profitability. Why? It is actually quite logical. If you reduce opening hours to the times of day when you have the most guests—for example, around lunchtime—your revenue increases. You also avoid “dead” periods when hardly anything is ordered and you are unnecessarily paying your kitchen staff.

At the same time, optimised opening hours lead to a better work/life balance for employees. Did you know that the productivity of individual employees drops significantly once they work more than 50 hours per week? John Pencavel of Stanford University demonstrated this as early as 2014, making clear what we still do not want to believe today: longer working hours do not necessarily mean higher productivity. Quite the opposite.

Improved Workflows

Creative marketing measures, high-quality cuisine and professional service are often only half the battle when it comes to a company’s success. The real challenge lies in making daily processes efficient and profitable, thereby increasing the productivity of the kitchen and the rest of the business! 

That is why our second tip for increasing production focuses on improving workflows. New production equipment and innovative production processes can decouple production times from service times. This not only optimises workflows but also relieves your staff during peak hours. 

We recommend observing your workflows and production processes over a longer period in order to identify where optimisation is needed. Do not hesitate to ask your kitchen staff for feedback as well— employees’ perspectives are generally very valuable, as they naturally know the processes best.

New Compensation Models

The goal of every business must be to increase productivity and stabilise, and ideally increase, revenue and profits with fewer employees. This can only be achieved with better-paid employees. However, a traditional salary increase comes at the expense of the business and is uneconomical in many cases.

This is where our third tip comes in: develop new compensation models. To ensure the business is not overly burdened by this improved compensation, it can also include tax- and social security-free components. These include, for example, performance-based commissions, public transport bonuses or even an occupational pension scheme. These new, innovative forms of compensation are definitely worth a closer look!

Motivated Employees

Our penultimate tip concerns employee motivation. If you have always had the impression that satisfied and motivated employees work more productively, then according to a study by the University of Oxford, you are absolutely right. Employee motivation not only increases productivity, but also the efficiency of workflows and employees’ loyalty to the company. A genuine win-win situation.

Please read our articles such as “From Employee to Brand Ambassador” or “How Do You Motivate Employees Without Money?” to learn more about the benefits of motivated employees.

Accident Prevention

Last but not least, we would like to draw attention to the importance of accident prevention. As the DGUV statistics (“German Social Accident Insurance”) on workplace accidents show, there were 108,446 reportable accidents in the “service occupations and sales” sector in 2022 alone. In addition, DGUV states that the domestic services sector (kitchen, canteen) is a focal area for accidents involving the handling of hot, flammable substances.

In fact, our company was founded precisely because of this situation. More than 40 years ago, our founder Stan Smith noticed an increase in workplace injuries caused by slips and falls, and the idea for Shoes For Crews was born: work and safety shoes with a slip-resistant outsole for optimal sure footing. This reduces accidents caused by slipping and provides your employees with optimal protection. 

As the consequences of musculoskeletal disorders—caused by prolonged standing, wearing poor footwear, etc.—should not be underestimated either, our shoes are designed for optimal fit and absolute comfort. The severity of the consequences of these conditions is made clear by the BAUA (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) report on “Safety and Health at Work” from 2018. According to the report, 22.5% of all sick days are attributable to musculoskeletal disorders, as are €17.2 billion in lost production and €30.5 billion in lost gross value added. For a closer look at our range of kitchen shoes, see our article “Comfortable Kitchen Shoes: Sneakers, Slip-Ons and Clogs at Shoes For Crews”. 

Conversely, this means that investing in suitable safety shoes, especially in the kitchen, increases productivity because accidents and sick days occur less frequently.

Get in touch with us! We are happy to help you develop a strategy to prevent workplace accidents—for happier, more productive employees.