June 16, 2005 Issue

Many times when a business is appraised for valuation purposes, the most valuable asset is overlooked. The most valuable aspect of most businesses is not just the waterfront property, the structure, or the annual sales or profits. For many operations single most important asset is the employees.

I am involved in several restaurants and work with more than 300 employees.I have always disliked the old adage that “good help is hard to find.”

Harbor Docks alone has more than 150 employees. Of those, 40 have been with me between two and four years, five employees have worked more than 18 years, 14 have called Harbor Docks home for 18 years, five more have clocked in for more than 10 years, and four employees have been there for more than 20 years. We’ve only been open for 26 years, yet my employee base has remained remarkably stable. Calling these people “good help” would be an inaccurate description of their value to the restaurant, to themselves, and to me.

The compliment that I receive more than any other is that “Harbor Docks has such great people working there.” Sometimes my ego swells when people assume that “you must be a great guy to work for.”That assumption is not to be believed.

I have rarely entertained the idea that the people who work at Harbor Docks work for me. I hope that they work for themselves and that Harbor Docks is their chosen place of employment for several reasons.

Good people attract good people.Surrounding yourself with successful people is an idea that has always been appealing to me.
So I am forever thankful for the people who make Harbor Docks much more than just a restaurant. However the new generation of employees is sometimes frightening.

Tattoos and facial adornments don’t both me, but they do many employers. Nose rings and pierced tongues and eyebrows bother many more—employers and customers alike.

What bothers me is a person’s lack of common sense when they show up for a job interview with any extras that could affect their hiring. Non-essential jewelry added to over-large blue jeans that ride low on the butt with boxer shorts showing is not a great look for a job interview. Throw in a weird hairstyle, a backwards ball cap and a wife beater T-shirt that reveals obscene tattoos and you aren’t getting the job.

Poor grammar and language skills are an even more prevalent scourge among potential new hires. When a kid is asked what kind of job they are looking for and they respond with, “well you know man, like, I mean, well I don’t know, you know what I mean?” Trust me on this: They don’t know what you mean.

We very rarely have the management meetings that many restaurants have daily.For many years our Christmas party sufficed as our annual meeting, but we do try to hire people that speak well.

We don’t have the standard policy regarding employees fraternizing with each other (that’s always going to happen anyway) and we’ve never had a dress code or uniform which in itself is incredibly rare these days, but you had better be on time and be pleasant with everyone you come in contact with.

The next time someone whines about how hard it is to find good help— tell them to go check the good folks at Harbor Docks.Great restaurants have great employees.

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