Proof of the Pudding’s LaTosha Marks describes six strategies for retaining quality employees
By Sara Perez Webber
It’s a conundrum for hospitality businesses. Customer service is only as good as the people providing it. Yet it’s difficult to find and keep committed employees in an industry with one of the highest job turnover rates.
To find out how one large catering company successfully does it, CFE reached out to Atlanta’s Proof of the Pudding. In the last decade, Proof has grown annual revenues from $15 million to over $100 million. Operating in 18 states, the catering firm’s roster balloons to about 2,000 employees during its four busiest months, with about 260 full-time, year-round employees.
LaTosha Marks, Proof of the Pudding’s senior vice president of human resources, shared six strategies the company employs to attract and retain quality staff members as the company grows.
1. Staff meals
Proof of the Pudding makes sure the hospitality they’re known for extends to staff members by providing daily lunch to all employees and meals to staffers working events. “It’s something that comes from the top down,” says Marks, noting that CEO Adam Noyes serves on the board of Atlanta’s Giving Kitchen, which provides emergency assistance to foodservice workers.
Employees appreciate not having to worry about where to get lunch every day, says Marks, and new staffers are impressed by the perk. “They say, ‘Wow, we’ve never had this before,’ or if they did, it wasn’t to this extent. The feedback we get is great.”
2. Useful benefits
Offering benefits that employees need and use is a priority for Proof of the Pudding. In addition to such benefits as a 401(k)-investment plan even for part-time staffers, Proof’s employment package includes a fully funded Employee Assistance Program (EAP). “We started that last year because being in the hospitality industry can be quite stressful,” says Marks. The EAP includes five free counseling sessions as well as other resources, such as helping parents find day care assistance.
3. Getting the message out
Proof’s monthly HR newsletter keeps employees abreast of benefits like the EAP as well as all engagement opportunities offered by the company. To increase readership, the newsletter often features photos of employees. “I think it’s really important for people to see themselves,” says Marks. She’ll make sure managers know when someone on their team appears in the newsletter so they can emphasize the accolade.
The company’s multiple avenues of communication include ticker lines when staffers log in to their computers or the payroll system. The messages can be company-wide or tailored to a specific venue. “Having messages like that keep employees informed,” says Marks. “Communication is key.”
4. Culture training
Marks, who joined the company two years ago after many years as the human resources director at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, says she wants to make sure all employees understand what she considers Proof’s biggest selling point. “Our culture, by far, is the reason I’m here—the culture that Adam and Ben [Witte, Proof’s COO] set forth and how much we care about employees,” says Marks. “We talk to all our employees at every level about how we got here—the things that we’ve done as far as giving back and volunteering, and who we are as a company, how Adam’s father ran the business prior to him, and how we value family.”
While imparting company culture can be a challenge, as Proof includes many venues in multiple states, culture training starts on the first day of employee orientation. “With videos and PowerPoints, we touch on our culture and our mission statement, and then we reiterate that throughout the tenure of every employee,” says Marks. “In our industry, we have employees that work for a lot of different companies, and they’ll tell you that it’s different here, that they like it here. And I just try to figure out, how do I keep that going? As we continue to grow and integrate new people in, how do we keep that synergy?”
5. Volunteer opportunities
Proof encourages staff members to volunteer in the community, which boosts morale and cohesion. It sponsors all employees in a 5K walk benefiting Giving Kitchen in Atlanta, and Marks is working with venues in Texas and Florida to find local charitable endeavors.
Recently the company held a contest among all its Atlanta venues, challenging them to collect the most toiletry items for Atlanta Mission, a homeless shelter. The winning venue earned a party for employees and was featured in Proof’s newsletter. “We make sure our employees know that if they need to take time off or do anything from a volunteer perspective, to reach out to us and let us see what we can do to assist,” says Marks. “Or if there is an organization that you’re passionate about and you want to know if Proof can contribute, talk to us and let’s see what we can do to help out. Most of the time, the passion comes from their experiences, right? I had an employee tell me, ‘I’m really glad that you contributed to this, because two years ago, I was homeless, and the Giving Kitchen was actually able to help me find housing. I didn’t know you guys were a part of that.’ So people resonate with different types of volunteer opportunities.”
6. Leadership training
Providing leaders with the tools to be effective managers is another way Proof makes itself an attractive place to work. “People work for people. People don’t work for companies,” says Marks. “If you have a leader that you want to work with, then you stay.”
Leadership training courses are offered three times a year, including one designed specifically to help managers communicate with Gen Z staffers in a way that resonates with that age group. “It’s called ‘transactional leadership,’ and it’s about removing the word ‘no’ from your vocabulary and making everything transactional,” says Marks. “It’s saying, ‘Yes, you can do this, as soon as you do that.’ These are tools that help retain our employees.”
Marks also holds monthly training sessions with each level of management, with one focus being conflict management. “I’m a firm believer that HR shouldn’t be viewed as the gatekeeper of all things negative,” she says. Marks helps managers resolve issues close to the source of the problem—unless it’s an issue where HR must take the lead, such as theft or harassment.
“If you resolve it between the two people [involved], the longevity of the employee is extended,” she says. “When you circumvent that process, they never resolved it with the person, and then they’ll tend to leave. So understanding that that is a part of retention is very important for all of our leaders.”
