To: Lia Slager
From: Taylor Smith
Date: February 4, 2019
Subject: Peer Review of Formal Report Proposal
Hi Lia,
Thank you for submitting your Formal Research Proposal for our course, ENGL 301. I found your proposal quite interesting, as I too am focused on bettering the inner workings of the restaurant that I am employed at. In the following you will find my thoughts and recommendations on where your strong-points are, and also where I think you could improve:
Overall: At first glance this proposal is organized very well, and easy to follow. You clearly mark each heading in bold text, and provide informative and well-written details about why you feel this problem needs to be rectified. As someone who works in the restaurant industry I am familiar with the problem of a high employee turnover rate, and agree that steps should be taken to keep employees longer, which in turn saves the company money on training costs.
Introduction: Your introduction is clear, and sets the reader up well in understanding the problem you are presenting. You make sure to explain the downfalls the proposed problem presents to not only current employees, but also prospective ones as well. You are direct in assessing what is wrong, while clearly expressing your concern with Earls’ current state of affairs, regarding employee retention.
Proposed Solution: In your proposed solution I really like how you detail a plan to alleviate the high employee turnover rate at Earls. Employees always appreciate incentives, and one’s like priority shifts and best available sections goes a long way for employees within the restaurant industry. The next part of this category I am a little bit confused about, perhaps because at my restaurant I am part of the kitchen staff. You suggest that when group training occurs, it is most successful when the restaurant is in a low demand for servers, giving the new trainees an adequate amount of time to learn their new position, rather than being under a time constraint, which ultimately hinders their ability to learn. What I am confused about is how having a batch of new and well-trained servers allows for existing employees to benefit from the perks you are suggesting. I understand that long-standing employees of a company sometimes enjoy a kind of “special treatment” because of their seniority over new employees, but I fear that this might hurt your proposal, as new employees might not appreciate the special treatment other’s might get. I do not disagree with you, however, when trying to cut back on employee turnover rate this special treatment might contribute to it.
Scope: I believe the points you draw on in this category will be quite helpful to you when researching the proposed problem that you are considering. You ask questions that are easy to expand on, which will go a long way in developing your proposal.
Methods: Your methods of research will be helpful, as you discuss the issue with staff from different times and days. This will create a level of insight into the problem, as differing opinions might come to light, giving an equal representation of all involved within the company. The second sentence of this category might need some tweaking, as the beginning reads, “By access the staff on different days and times…” The wording here seems confusing, which I am thinking is just a rare typo/grammatical error in your writing, however, it still does not take away from the overall message you are putting forth.
Your Qualifications: As a fellow restaurant employee, it is clear to me that you know what you are talking about regarding the restaurant industry. You started as a hostess a number of years ago, and since then have found yourself moving up, as you acquire new skills which can be applied to new positions, like serving, etc. It is clear that you care about your place of employment. Your passion and experience will be great assets when it comes to writing your report.
Conclusion: The conclusion really drives home how important it is to you to fix the problem that is proposed. Not only are you trying to make Earls a better place for you to work, you are also trying to make it better for everyone involved. In turn, the fix you are proposing will not only benefit the employees that work there, but also Earls as a single establishment and major corporation too.
My Final Thoughts: You clearly are well connected with the issue, as you see the turnover rate of employees first hand. I know how frustrating a high turnover rate in the restaurant industry can be, and I commend you for addressing this issue. One thing I might suggest is, and please feel free to ignore this piece of advice as it is only my opinion, it might be beneficial to you to be careful of how critical you are on the issue. What I mean is, in some places your passion comes through on the stronger side, and might rub your current employer the wrong way. For example, in the Introduction you suggest that, in regard to the continuous recruiting of new employees, it seems like management has no intention of keeping their already trained employees. I am not trying to discount your feelings, or the feelings of others, but perhaps this type of sentiment could be left out, or at least worded in a way that does not accuse Earls of doing something you are not entirely sure of. However, your proposal was very interesting to read, and I sincerely look forward to seeing your final report.
Best,
Taylor Smith
Enclosure:https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99c-2018wc/2019/02/01/formal-report-proposal-lia-slager/
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