One of the hardest parts of opening your restaurant on Thanksgiving Day is staffing. The fact is that your employees will not want to work. Many of them have family events they would prefer to be at. Scheduling them will tell them that they have to be there, but you cannot force them to show up. Even though they might be risking their job to call in, there isn’t much that you could do in the moment. Instead you would simply be shorthanded and needing employees. The best way to solve this potential problem is to motivate your employees so that they actually want to be there. There are several things you can do that will help.

Short Shifts

Since it is likely that everyone will want to plan their own Thanksgiving festivities, the best thing you can do is offer shorter shifts. Schedule everyone to work but limit their shift to only a few hours. This allows your employees to be there and also have plenty of time to plan their own dinner and family time. You will have much more willing employees if they do not have to put in a full day that they may have had to put in before.

Extra Pay

Money is one of the best motivators for anyone employed in the service industry. Offer to give extra pay to those willing to work a shift on Thanksgiving. You will be surprised how many people volunteer to work just to receive the extra cash. It is a way for them to earn extra money and if you do the shorter shift they still have plenty of family time. Many will volunteer for longer shifts simply because they need the extra cash. Always remember that money talks loudly and you simply have to find the person willing to listen.

Bonuses

Some businesses offer bonuses to those who are willing to work over any holiday period. You could set it up so that they had to work their normal shift before and after the holiday to qualify for the bonus. Whether the bonus was money or a vacation day, chances are your employees would appreciate any special recognition. Spend some time thinking about what motivates them and the best way to reward them. You will find a lot of people choose to volunteer when you show them that you value what they do.

Contests

If you want people to volunteer, make it fun. Offer contests throughout the day that only those working are eligible for. You can choose any type of prize. Chances are your employees will love the competition and have a lot of fun waiting to see who wins each round. It will make the day go by quicker and give them something to look forward to.

The key to motivating employees is to make them actually want to be there. You can do this by appealing to them on their level. Contests, bonuses, money and shorter shifts all work together to give them an environment they do not mind spending part of their holiday in.

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