Why and How to Encourage Outside Training for Your Brewery Employees
Your team is set, and the business is humming along. Employees seem happy, the customers are keeping the coffers full and the tanks busy and for the first time in a long time you, as an owner, have a moment of peace and calm. Then reality sets in and thoughts of the future creep into your brain.
To keep the positive momentum going you need to make sure that everyone is equipped with the tools they need. This does not just mean physical equipment, but proper training as well. It is time to start thinking about additional, outside, training for your employees.
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Think Ahead
Education is key to smart growth and there are, of course, annual conferences like the Craft Brewers Conference as well as Master Brewers of the Americas meetings and local guild conferences that offer classes and seminars geared around particular topics. These can be valuable for quick hit learning but classes that spend a few days or more diving deep into a topic can be more valuable in the long run.
Think about who on your staff could benefit from intensive training and then research the programs that would be of most benefit to them and your brewery.
All of the major brewing schools offer certificate programs in various disciplines. Equipment manufacturers do the same, and local colleges and universities often offer certificates in specialized areas. Start with a broad search and narrow it down to find the program that works best for your brewery.
This doesn’t need to be just for brewing staff, but can fall into HR, accounting, and other parts of the business as well.
Plan and Budget
With few exceptions this should not be a spur of the moment decision. Plan out a budget that includes not only the course but travel, lodging, meals and incidentals for the employee attending the training. This will be a financial commitment but one that should pay for itself over time with tangible benefits to the business.
Put in the time to research different programs that fit your brewery’s growing needs and go old-school with a lot of pros and cons to help determine what will be best for the business. Cost and time should not be the only factors. Consider the faculty, the level of intensity, and how it fits into your overall plan for growth.
You will also have to take into account that an employee will be away for several days and that shifts might have to be covered. This could come as an added overtime expense for others or temporary help.
With proper planning and internal communication this can be a seamless endeavor.
Have a Post-Education Plan
Upon completion of a course make sure the employee shares some of the knowledge with the larger team and puts together an action plan to implement the new education so it benefits the overall company.
Add the lessons into standard operating procedures and be sure to tout any certificates or accreditations on social media. Having your customers know that your company values education and is committed to excellence and hard work can only help the bottom line.
The biggest reason for EXTERNAL training of your staff (assuming they know what they are doing) is line staff tends not to trust that beverage management is attempting to tell them that guest satisfaction will yield in a better income for them. But…. I have seen it before…. the management does not adopt all the practices consistently. Too many servers have the “it is just beer” mentality.