Training Montage

(I don’t actually like the concept of theme songs for text-based media, but if this song doesn’t cross your mind, you’re missing out on the best Daniel Radcliffe film. This isn’t at all related the rest of the post, I just wanted to share)

We’ve had a lot of new hires recently in the workplace. Which is good, probably. I mean, corporate-speak would have me say plenty of people are getting their first hours of work experience in general and an introduction to the food service industry in particular. Which is good in a capitalist sort of way. But it also means that a portion of the people working, sometimes up to a quarter, are almost completely unable to function by themselves in a kitchen. Which means they need training.

Which means I’ve had to train them.

I’ve been vocal in person about how much I don’t want to end up teaching. A lot of that is my (personally) perceived inability to deal with more than, like, two or three people at a time, but I also worry a lot about having to explain my (or really any specific) thought process more than once or twice. Basically, I abhor repetition.

Training is a little different, of course. It happens seldomly enough and I’ve taught enough different positions that it never gets old or repetitive per se, but that only exacerbates the other problem I alluded to: explaining my mindset as I’m training.

When I’m working in the kitchen, I have a million things going on. I have two screens to keep track of, four appliances each with their own timers to be aware of, and five areas that each need to be individually stocked. Not to mention I also have to keep my area clean and get it as ready as possible for my closing routine which is a whole additional can of metaphorical worms. And it’s difficult, I’ve found, to properly relay all that to whoever is shadowing me for a day.

Most recently, I wanted to start the training session with a quick rundown of what and where everything was, but the dinner rush came early, and I was stuck explaining my thought process behind chickens and pasta cooking, while also rushing around my eight-by-eight foot area trying to get everyone’s food out in a timely manner. When things calmed down and I was able to ask, “Do you have any questions so far?” I got the “No” that probably meant “Yes, but I don’t have the right words to ask any of them.”

Or maybe that’s just my own insecurities. They did have questions later, and as far as I can tell they’re doing a good enough job with further training as far as I can tell. Although maybe that’s simply because after that day, they started training with somebody else.

-F