Arriving on time: I am afraid as catering agency staff (or casuals) we can’t afford to arrive late for an assignment. We all know that transport in London is sometimes unpredictable, but you have to take this into account. You will be asked to be at the venue 15 minutes before your shift commence. This is to give a good first impression (more below) and guarantee that even if you have to go through security, or sign in or go to the last floor, you will still be on time.
First impressions count (and last for a long time): when you go to an assignment, even if you need to get changed into your work gear, you need to make sure you are already presentable. By definition you only have once chance to make a first impression and studies demonstrate that for every negative signal you give when meeting someone for the first time, you then need to give 7 positive signals to change this someone’s mind.
Appearance: As I have been working many years now, too many times I take things for granted, or maybe I just expect more than other companies do. At any rate please be reminded that your shirt and trousers must be pristine and well ironed, your shoes polished and your hair tied at the back or styled.
The standard uniform is: long sleeved plain black shirt, ballerina (for ladies) with no frocks and smart trousers (no jeans, hot pants or whatever else). Please keep jewellery to a minimum.
Once you are there: your first thought should be “how can I impress this client?”. So you introduce yourself and then ask “what can I do?”, you do it and then ask again “what next?”. This will surely show the client that you mean business and hopefully impress them.
Possessions: sometimes when you go on assignments you will be asked to leave your possessions in a communal room, kitchen etc. Normally I just take with me mobile, oyster card and a debit card. I have seen people taking their iPad with them and I really think it is a bad idea! If there is a secure place you will be asked to leave your mobile behind while working. Although it’s pretty obvious that you can’t take calls, text or write emails while working, you can’t take a peek at your mobile to check the time either, as guests and clients can’t really tell the difference.
Body language: If I am on an assignment with you I will most likely remind you to smile any way, but there are other little signals that sometimes we give away without realising it: crossing your arms, leaning on a table or else, slouching, looking around.
Decision Making: for every assignment, even if the client has not requested one, I will appoint a team leader whom you can refer to if you have any doubts and who can communicate with the client. This is to avoid more than one person asking the client the same question and wasting time when a decision has to be made. This is a real life example: 3 team members discussing for 10 minutes the way paper napkins should be folded! If you stall on something ask the team leader and they will make a decision. Another thing I find really annoying is when team members keep asking the client or the event manager if things should be done in a different way. For some people this is very disturbing, so unless you have a very valid point, please stick to the brief.
Fair guy:
I am sorry if in some parts I sounded a bit harsh. If you are lucky enough to work with people I have already worked with in the past and that were under my supervision or reporting to me, they will tell you that I am a fun guy to work with and very receptive to team needs and requests. I believe in giving people opportunities and as Salt&Pepper is a young company there is a lot of potential for growth. Let’s not forget though that work is work and clients are paying us to perform.
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