Buddy Trainer

Guidelines

• Frequently, the bulk of staff turnover takes place in the first three months of employment, during the probation period. This is often due to the new employee feeling anxious in strange, new surroundings, having to guess things that they have not been told, and losing confidence through making mistakes and irritating customers and colleagues.
• The Buddy system is designed to:
• appoint a model employee, who has good job skills and a positive, team-oriented attitude, to be the new employee’s “friend” during the probation period;
• ensure that the new employee has a peer, who knows the ropes, and who can guide him/her, thereby minimising problems with colleagues and other departments;
• help the new employee to settle in, and ensure that s/he has someone to turn to on the same shift.
• The Buddy takes the role of a friend, who looks after the new employee from the person’s first day to the end of the probation period. Not only will this enhance the retention of new employees, but it will also assist the Department Manager to identify potential Supervisors from the work force.

Recommendations
1. Select Buddies carefully from the employees, who have been employed for at least a year. The person chosen must be someone, who:
• has reached a very good level of job performance;
• has a very positive attitude towards the hotel, the department, and his/her job;
• is a fine example of a team player;
• makes a strong effort to achieve the team’s goals;
• likes to do a job well;
• is interested in accepting this additional role.

2. Before starting the role of a Buddy, the employee selected must fully understand his/her extra duties, the reasons why s/he has been selected for the role, and why this aspect of orientation is in operation in the Department. The Division Head must meet with the employee to explain these points.