The Tao Heung Group, 2009 winner of HKMA Award for Excellence in Training reveals its recipes for success that ensure staff at all levels feel valued within the group. Ms Caroline Li, Deputy Director Human Resources and Ms Iva Au, General Manager Training & Development for the group, share their secrets on the group’s innovative training and development programme, which has allowed it to raise the bar of professionalism within the food & beverage sector.
What do you think are the key successes to your training and development philosophy?
We believe that there is not just the training department, we believe that first of all the CEO and the Chairman are the drivers and then the training is like a project leader to coordinate and communicate with the various departments. We communicate with the Executive Chef and all the heads of productions to define the training programs and training content. We used a corporate video to advertise, and to tell all the staff that we were rolling out this kind of training. The staff need to know that this is a new trend, and is not like the old traditional ways of apprenticeships.
Will all the staff go through this process no matter what level they are in the organisation?
Yes, apart from the CEO because he’s the driver and also the CEO, on that day, is the Chairman.
He was a chef in the past so he really knows the weaknesses and needs of kitchen staff, and he suggests new training methods or coaching skills that need to be delivered to the kitchen staff.
What ingredients do you need to make a good training programme?
If we are talking about chef training, we think that communication beforehand is very important because there was no systematic training for the kitchen staff in the old days. During the training, method is important because as we mentioned some staff are not comfortable writing, and also they don’t like to sit still for a long time. So the workshop lessons are around one hour, and tell them the key points of the coaching skills. For the written quiz we just use around ten simple questions and they just write the main points. The exam and assessment are in the kitchen, where all the kitchen staff are scored by the Executive Chef. The training methods have to suit the staff’s learning style; if you make them sit still in the training room then it might be a bit too boring. The trainer is also important. The trainer for the kitchen staff is the Executive Chef and he is their ‘big brother’, he can speak their language and they can really understand him and his opinion carries some weight. Our strategy is also a key part of the success, we start with the Executive Chef, who joined the preparation of this programme, and then we go to the Head Chef. Every level in the kitchen has to go through this programme.
What do you think has been the most successful piece of training you have ever done?
I guess it was the video that we played in the lesson, because the video demonstrates various kinds of coaching skills needed for the exam. So in the lesson they see what they have to do in the examination. This has a big impact, because in the video the actor is the Executive Chef. Also, the practical aspects impress them. When they actually do the exam or practise they will be nervous because they have to measure everything next to the Executive Chef. The dishes are already really familiar, but the exam makes them nervous, as the Executive Chef scores them on his checklist. This video shows the chef how to coach their subordinates. Li concluded, “The point is not to teach them how to cook the dishes, it’s the process of how to coach your staff to make the dishes - this is the main point. After they finish the dishes they need to have a tasting, and give feedback on how to improve.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
