Staffing

From Bakers to Cakers: Why Paris Baguette invests in people

Josh Allen, director of Training and Development at Paris Baguette, discusses how employee growth opportunities are the key to the brand's success.

Provided

November 29, 2022

By Josh Allen, director of Training and Development, Paris Baguette

People entering the workforce have higher expectations for future employers than ever before. Companies continue to see a large increase in the amount of turnover, as workers choose to find better opportunities elsewhere. Organizations must invest in workers to reduce employee turnover and build company culture, which is exactly what we're doing at Paris Baguette.

Our goal at Paris Baguette is to ensure that every new employee knows they are an integral part of our team and they can plan their career aspirations with us. The reality is that if we don't invest in our people, we're not investing in the future of our business. If an organization wants to reduce turnover and create an engaged, motivated workforce, it needs to provide growth opportunities and evolve its employee experience to meet the workforce of today.

One of the ways we work to invest in our employees is by ensuring a warm welcome for new employees. Our onboarding process is designed to foster a sense of belonging and community as employees integrate into their new teams and become familiar with coworkers. The goal is simple: to make sure that every new employee knows they are needed, they are a part of the team and they can plan their futures with Paris Baguette. Employee recognition and support doesn't stop after day 1; new hires immediately enter into an extensive caker and baker training program to become expert makers and ensure advancement opportunities within the company.

An extensive training program is one of the many ways we strive for excellence at Paris Baguette. It's important to show our employees that we care about each of their success. It's our goal to foster a sense of belonging and community while actively developing a sense of psychological safety with our caker and baker training programs. We are actively investing in our employees' futures because we truly believe in them.

New employees begin their professional journey at a training center where they are given the time to make mistakes and try new things. This stage of training and development seeks to identify the natural skills of employees while understanding where gaps might be. After two weeks, the trainees take the fundamentals they have learned and put them into practice through an immersive six-week program in a bakery café. The entire training process ensures that employees feel prepared while giving them the opportunity to learn new skills with the guidance of experienced cakers and bakers.

Paris Baguette offers continuing education for their employees with their Cake U and Bake U programs, offering employees a space to revise and refine fundamental skills. Employees who are ready to take the next step can join the Pro Team where they assist with new store openings and develop leadership and problem-solving skills.

Where we excel in training and development is by offering employees different avenues to build their skills and career paths that fit their lifestyles. Bakers could join the Pro Team, become quality assurance officers, go into management, training or even R&D. There's no end to future possibilities for our employees, and we want to ensure that all possible career opportunities are accessible and available to everyone at the company.

As Director of Training and Development, ensuring the future success of each of our employees at Paris Baguette is my utmost priority. This is my dream job, and I love helping make sure that our employees feel both appreciated and well-supported by their teams. This is why it's crucial that the leadership team be active participants in company culture and create a community-based workforce. As Paris Baguette continues to invest in the future of employees, you can practically taste the excitement at every level of the organization. There are so many amazing opportunities for growth at Paris Baguette that finding your dream job is a piece of cake.