Half Time prevents employee turnover by being mindful of their staff’ s busy schedules.
teams to our store-level staff,” says Cale Thibaudeau, training and development manager at Twin Liquors.“ This partnership is essential to creating a workplace that continually evolves to provide a positive and fulfilling experience for all employees.”
“ From meeting with a recruiter or their future store manager, to the new employee orientation and continued learning programs, employees continue to receive ongoing support,” Thibaudeau continues.“ This layered approach ensures that every team member understands expectations, feels supported and sees the wide range of career opportunities available within Twin Liquors.”
COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY
One of the main reasons why it’ s so important to have competent staff is to ensure that your store remains compliant. Employees must be diligent about checking IDs to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors, which carries severe penalties for the store and potential criminal liability for the employee.
Hiring individuals who demonstrate responsibility, attention to detail and a commitment to following the law is paramount. Hiring techniques should include thorough background checks and scenario-based interview questions to assess their ability to handle confrontational or difficult compliance situations, like refusing a sale.
To cover all these bases, Kelly Taylor, director of operations at Half Time in New York, utilizes a payroll company that has a robust onboarding documentation process.
“ All of our documentation is on there, so once a new hire gets through all of that, they know all of our company’ s procedures,” Taylor says.“ It takes minimal effort, which is a big success for me. There are always so many questions and paperwork to get through to get fully set up, especially when you’ re dealing with alcohol.”
Part of what the onboarding documentation discusses is the importance of checking ID’ s and verifying a customer’ s age to prevent selling to a minor.
“ After they go through the paperwork, I also get them on the floor, so they know how to deal with customers and the best way to respond to their questions,” Taylor adds.
Clear onboarding procedures are crucial to fully prepare a new hire on what’ s expected in their role. This is the most significant aspect of introducing new personnel for Doug Crawford, president and founder of online training platform Best-Trade Schools.
“ Personally, my strategy involves teaching our new hires the steps their roles require,” he says.“ Because of this, we were able to reduce new hire errors and, at the same time, promote the importance of teamwork and clear communications to both our new and old staff. In the end, it’ s always better to invest in our staff as early as possible to keep employee morale up.”
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE
With thousands of different wines, spirits and beer in stock, product knowledge is another important aspect of employee training.
Customers that seek recommendations for pairings, gifts or specific flavor profiles need staff with genuine product knowledge and strong customer service skills to help them find what they’ re looking for.
To help ensure that new hires have the proper education, Twin Liquors offers certification courses that are specific to the beverage alcohol industry.
“ At Twin Liquors, we recognize that our employees come to us with diverse backgrounds and levels of experience," explains Thibaudeau. " Some may have worked in other wine and spirits retail environments or in the restaurant industry, while others may be new to the field entirely."
“ To ensure every team member has the opportunity to build a strong foundation and grow their knowledge, we proudly offer Wine & Spirit Education Trust( WSET) certification courses— Levels 1 through 3 in both wine and spirits— at no cost to our employees," Thibaudeau continues. " This education is foundational www. beveragedynamics. com Winter 2025 • Beverage Dynamics 11