How they perform is simply a reflection of the person for whom they work. When people are unhappy at work, absenteeism increases, productivity goes down, the quality of the meals produced is reduced and employee turnover increases. It all adds up to a failing business. With this in mind, it is imperative that the chef-supervisor s job not only includes structuring work, but also motivating and building morale within the kitchen team so as to achieve the quality objectives which have been established. Part of this process is to determine how well the objectives and goals are being achieved and if there are motivational barriers to the accomplishment of these goals.
Motivation contributes to morale and stroking is part of building morale.
Morale is defined in Webster s New World Dictionary as the condition with respect to courage, discipline, confidence, enthusiasm, willingness to endure hardship within a group or individual. The kitchen is often a pressure-filled place of work during busy meal periods. A team spirit with good morale car reduce this pressure and increase the confidence ability and harmony of the team to help them to deal with busy service periods. The effective chef-supervisor is sympathetic and approachable. He or she believes in people and has sensitivity towards their difficulties in achieving the kitchen team s goals.