Commented [KW1]: I have made suggestions throughout

RODEO C AF this document for ways to group information into usable,

readable sections that follow a logical and coherent
organizational pattern. I also recommend reorganizing the
structure of this entire document in a way that puts the most
important and relevant information (from the users
perspective) at the beginning of the manual. As result, I
recommend that this document follows this organizational
structure:

EMPLOYEE M AN U AL 1)Title Page

2)Wages and Pay Raises
3)Safety
4)Behavior and Discipline
5)Health and Dress Standards
6)Scheduling, Attendance, and Sick Leave
7)Insurance, Vacation, Privileges, Breaks, and Holidays
8)History of Rodeo Caf

In order to help guide the reader through the text, I

recommend placing page numbers on every page, except for
the title page.

Maintaining a consistent format for headings, subheadings,

and the body paragraphs is important in making this text
usable. Suggestions have been made throughout the text for
ways to use consistent visual cues to draw the users
attention to the information.

HISTORY OF RODEO CAF
RODEO CAF WAS FIRST OPENED FOR BUSINESS NOVEMBER 4, 1987, AT 4000
COWBOY DRIVE, DALLAS, TEXAS. REX JONES WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE
BUSINESS. THE BUSINESS WAS OPENED ON THE CONCEPTS OF: GOOD
FOOD, GOOD SERVICE, AND REASONABLE PRICES. THE FOUNDER BELIEVES
IF THESE THREE BASIC CONCEPTS ARE CONTINUED ON A DAILY BASIS, THE
COMPANY WILL ALWAYS THRIVE.
FOLLOWING THE SUCESS OF THE FIRST RESTAURANT, A SECOND
RESTAURANT WAS OPENED APRIL 2, 1988, AT 1823 NORTH RIVER.
RODEO CAF WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK NEW LOCATIONS FOR FUTURE
EXPANSION AND POSSIBLE FRANCHISING.
Commented [KW2]: This heading is inconsistent with the
other headings that are used throughout the document. It uses
capital letters for all of the letters, whereas the other
headings do not, and is not in bold, whereas the other
headings are.
Commented [KW3]: The content on this page covers four
different ideas: the history of the Rodeo Caf, the future of
the Rodeo Caf, the administrators, and a disclaimer. In
order to enhance usability, I recommend changing the title of
this document to About the Rodeo Caf, and then include
subheadings in the following order: Our History
(paragraphs 1 and 2), Our Future (paragraph 3), and Our
Administrators (paragraph 4). See my comment below
regarding the disclaimer.
Commented [KW4]: The text on this page is entirely in
capital letters, which is inconsistent with the rest of the
document. To maintain the ease of readability and usability,
only use capital letters at the beginning of sentences or for
proper names.
Commented [KW5]: Paragraphs 2 is a brief addition to the
information contained in paragraph 1, so it should be
included in paragraph 1.

OFFICERS OF RODEO CAF Commented [KW6]: This section is about the history of
the Rodeo Caf, but this sentence is about the future of the
PRESIDENT: REX JONES caf. Either a new section should be created that describes
VICE PRESIDENT: MIKE JONES the companys endeavors to expand (such as the Out
SECRETARY: JERRY JONES Future section I described in an earlier comment), or this
sentence might need to be deleted.
TREASURER: TOM LARRY
Commented [KW7]: Using a chart with gridlines can help
the reader more easily see which person holds which
position. I would recommend listing these positions in a
DISCLAIMER - ALL THE PREVIOUS INFORMATION IS ONLY TO ACT AS chart to increase readability.
GUIDELINES. SOME POLICIES AND GUIDELINES MAY CHANGE PERIODICALLY.
RODEO CAF DOES NOT INTENT ON THE PREVIOUS INFORMATION AS BEING
A CONTRACT OF ANY KIND. Commented [KW8]: The disclaimer is about the policies
and guidelines that have been previously listed, but there
arent any policies and guidelines that have been discussed
yet. This disclaimer should be moved to the very last page of
the document, so that it will refer to the policies and
guidelines that will have come before it.
 Commented [KW9]: Much of the content on this page
Att endance and Sick Leave addresses scheduling. Therefore, I recommend that the title
of this section be changed to Scheduling, Attendance, and
Sick Leave. I also recommend that subheadings be
1. Each store will have varying hours depending on the business climate. implemented to direct the readers attention to the specific
information for each topic. Label the subheadings as
2. Rodeo Caf will offer various work schedules and shifts depending on the eating public. Scheduling, Attendance, and Sick Leave (in that
order.
3. Each restaurant will have a designated area where the work schedule is posted and time cards are
available. Then, group the content under the appropriate subheadings.
Numbers 1 and 2 should be combined and listed under
Scheduling. Numbers 5 and 10 should also be grouped
4. Each employee is responsible for writing the correct time he or she begins and ends work. Any under Scheduling.
employee that intentionally cheats on his time card will be dismissed. Rodeo Caf's intentions are
to have honest and trusting employees. The Attendance subheading should be followed by
numbers 6, 7, 8, 3, and 4 (in that order).
5. Scheduling will be made one (1) week in advance. Any employee needing time off should notify
store manager in writing, one week in advance or as soon as possible. It should be understood The Sick Leave subheading should be followed by number
that it will be impossible to let several employees off at one time. 9.

6. The time on the schedule to begin work is the time the employee shall be ready to begin work. Each subheading should start the numerical listing of their
respective policies at number 1. For example, Scheduling
Rodeo Caf will not tolerate employees who are consistently late or try to leave work before all of should be listed numerically as 1, 2, and 3; Attendance
their duties are complete. should be listed as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; and Sick Leave should
be listed as number 1.
7. If an employee is going to be more than 15 minutes late, he or she shall call the store and let them
know.

8. Employees should be aware that if customers are still ordering during closing time, that it is most
likely that everyone will leave work later and should always be prepared for this.

9. Sick Leave Policy - Any employee too sick to work must notify store as soon as possible. This
should be done on a daily basis unless prior arrangements are made with store manager. Any
employee that comes to work sick, or becomes sick while working, may be sent home. Hourly
employees will be paid only for the time they work. Salaried employees will be allowed one (1)
sick day for every continuous four (4) months of work. Abuse of sick leave will not be tolerated.

10. Only the store manager or assistant manager shall ever alter schedule. If any scheduling conflicts
arise, contact store manager or assistant manager and they will make the changes, if necessary.
 Commented [KW10]: Since there is already a subheading
Behavior and Discipline about discipline procedures at the bottom of the page, it
would be appropriate to create a subheading for behavior.

1. No horseplay - someone could get hurt! Customers resent seeing employees playing around. It The policies regarding behavior appear to focus on two
makes a customer wonder what is happening to his food. Employees goofing around lessens the aspects: behavior toward customers, and professional
image of a restaurant. behavior in the work-place. I would organize the behavioral
policies in such a way that the behavior directed toward
2. No foul language. customers is listed first, and all other behaviors are listed
after that.
3. Treat customers with respect and courtesy.
List #4 as the first item, since it is vital to ensuring proper
behavior and good business. Number 3 should be
4. All employees shall do their utmost to satisfy and please our customers. Remember the saying, incorporated into this same rule.
"THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT."
Numbers 5 and 9 should be combined and placed as #2 in the
5. Counter employees shall greet all customers with a smile and a friendly greeting. When customers list, since they emphasize how employees should interact
are leaving, counter employees shall say a sincere thank you, or something to that effect. with customers at the counter.

6. Employees shall not drink any alcoholic beverages in the restaurant or parking lot at any time.
This rule also includes the taking of drugs.
7. During business hours, employee smoking is prohibited in the dining room. A designate area will
be set up for smokers. Never leave a lighted cigarette unattended. After smoking wash hands
before returning to work. Smoking is allowed only during breaks.
Numbers 2, 8, 1, and 6 should then be listed. These are rules
that employees should adhere to in order to maintain a
professional atmosphere and to promote healthy
relationships with customers. They should be listed here
because they are subservient to the general rules of treating
customers with respect, but are more important than the rules
that follow.

8. No arguing or fighting. If any disagreements arise, try and work them out in a mature manner, or Numbers 11, 10, and 12 should then be listed. These are
report to manager. behaviors that are less likely to have the same kind of impact
as the rules that precede them, and should therefore come
9. Counter help shall not chew gum. last on the hierarchical list.
Commented [KW11]: This addresses a health standard, so
10. Student employees shall not study while on duty. it should be moved to the Health and Dress Standards
page.
11. No loafing - Rodeo Caf does not need lazy employees.

12. Important phone calls shall be the only ones accepted by employees. Remember, these are
business phones.

13. If an employee's personal check is returned from bank, then employee will lose check writing
privilege at Rodeo Caf. Only with the permission of manager or assistant manager may an
employee write a check for more than purchase price. In this case there shall be a limit of $10.00
above purchase.
Discipline Procedures
Commented [KW12]: Is this in reference to a situation in
which an employee may buy/order a product from Rodeo
Caf? If so, it should be moved to the page that discusses
employee privileges, and included in the text under the
Privileges subheading.

1. Employee will receive verbal warning. Commented [KW13]: How will a verbal warning be
recorded? If a written record is compiled for verbal
2. Employee will receive written warning. warnings, will the employee have access to view his/her
record?
3. Dismissal!
 Commented [KW14]: Since this section is entitled
Health and Dress Standards Health and Dress Standards, it would be appropriate to
move the items that are health related to the top of the list, so
it coincides with the order of information presented in the
title. I would group them under a subheading, such as
1. Hair - Anyone with hair more than three (3) inches below ear lobe must wear some kind of hair Health Standards. Numbers 7, 8, and 9 explicitly address
health concerns, and should therefore be listed as the first
restraint. three items under this section. Other items address health
standards implicitly through the use of the dress code, and
should then be used under the dress code section, with its
2. No beards - Male employees shall be clean shaven. own subheading.

3. All employees shall wear socks or nylons. There are multiple places within this page that utilize
underlining. However, underlining text is not the most
4. All employees shall be clean and neat looking. effective highlighting technique. It would be more
appropriate to use italics or bold text to emphasize certain
aspects of the textual content.
5. Any employee dealing with customers shall wear a designated Rodeo Caf shirt. Rodeo Caf will
Commented [KW15]: I recommend deleting the
pay for the first shirt. Employees are responsible for other shirts. underlined word hair and the hyphen that follows it. Using
highlights (such as underlining) in this manner can have the
unintended effect of creating a visual hierarchical system.
6. Shorts - Female counter employees may wear shorts. This would make some information appear more important
than others, would also signal the reader to look for visual
Restrictions: (1) Must be at least three (3) inches from kneecap. cues that might not be used later in the document.
Commented [KW16]: Underlining Shorts and
(2) Must be of a solid color (no polka dots, stripes or Hawaiian prints). Restrictions is highlighting technique that is not as
effective as using bolding or italics. Also, vertically aligning
(3) Must be of a dress like material. them (without other text features such as changes in size,
font, or color) establishes a hierarchy of information. In this
(4) No skin tight shorts. case, there really isnt a hierarchy of information. I
recommend stating that female counter employees may wear
shorts, and in the same sentence, state that some restrictions
7. All hands shall be clean (No Club Stamps). Hands are to be washed after using restroom.
apply. List those restrictions below.

8. Any employee that sneezes or coughs must cover his mouth or nose and then immediate wash his
hands. Never sneeze or cough toward foods or customers.
Commented [KW17]: A numerical listing method is
already being used on this page. To ensure readability and
usability, I recommend that you change this section so that it
uses bullet points instead of numbers.

9. Only counter help shall get drinks for employees.

Insurance, Vacation, Privileges, Breaks,
and Holidays
1. At present time, Rodeo Caf is participating in a group insurance plan. The employee deals
directly with the insurance carrier and is responsible for paying premiums. Any employee is
entitled to participate as long as he meets carrier's qualifications.
2. Vacation - Salaried employees working at least 40 hours per week for one (1) continuous complete
year may be allowed to take one paid week vacation. Reimbursement of vacation time off shall be
a maximum of forty (40) hours. Vacation time off shall be taken with approval of store manager.
In order to receive vacation pay, employee must actually take the time off. Terminated employees
shall not receive vacation pay.
3. Food and Drinks - Employees are allowed a 50% discount on food purchases at all times. This is
meant for the employee only (no relatives or friends). Drinks are free while on duty and half-price
off duty. Always have another employee ring up the order. Orders must be paid for in advance.
Abuse of this privilege will probably mean termination.
Employees shall eat only during their schedule break time ONLY. If employee is hungry, he
should eat before his work schedule begins or wait until his authorized break.
4. Breaks - Employees are allowed a ten(10) minute break for every four (4) continuous hours of work.
No breaks are permitted during busy times. Ask permission from a supervisor or manager before
taking break. Employees are not entitled to a break if they work four (4) hours or less.
5. Holidays - Rodeo Caf will close on the following days: Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter, July
4th and Thanksgiving Day. Employees will not be paid for these days off.
Disclaimer - All the previous information is only to act as guidelines. Some policies and guidelines
may change periodically. Rodeo Caf does not intend on the previous information as being a
contract of any kind.
Commented [KW18]: Each of the topics listed in this
heading should have their own subheading, with the
corresponding content immediately after it. I recommend
bolding the subheadings and using a colon after them. For
example:
Insurance: Text text text text text text text text
Vacation: Text text text text text text text text
Bolding the subheadings is much more efficient highlighting
tool than underlining them. In addition, it is important to
maintain document consistency by using italics to emphasize
important content, since italics are also more effective
highlighting techniques than underlining text.
Commented [KW19]: Apply the subheading guidelines.
Commented [KW20]: The Food and Drinks section is
actually describing the privileges enjoyed by employees
(which is stated in the heading). Change this subheading to
Privileges and ensure that it meets the subheading
guidelines, so that the visual cues are consistent with the
content.
Commented [KW21]: Underlining the holidays does not
provide the reader with any additional information, nor does
it establish any particular emphasis or hierarchy. Therefore, I
recommend removing the underlines for this section.
Commented [KW22]: This disclaimer should appear at the
end of the entire manual.
 Commented [KW23]: Most of the statements listed on this
General Requirements of Employees page would best be classified in other sections of the manual.
I have made recommendations for where these statements
should be moved, and how they can be combined with other
statements in those sections.
1. Never leave counter unattended. One person shall always be present near counter area.
The statements that are left over (#s 2, 4, 6, 7, and 13)
2. Keep back door locked at all times. Do not use back door as a entrance or exit. Employees shall should all be renumbered and used on this page. However,
enter and exit work through the front door only. since all of these statements deal with safety, the heading of
this page should be renamed. I recommend using a simple
3. Keep restaurant clean. Mop all spills immediately. Pick up all materials off floor. heading, such as Safety.
Commented [KW24]: This would best be classified on the
4. Keep drive-up window or screen closed when not in use. Behavior and Discipline page. It could easily be merged
with #5 on that page.
5. No Loafing - There is always something to clean or prepare for. If unable to find anything to do, Commented [KW25]: This statement would best be
report to manager or supervisor and ask for instructions. classified on the Health and Dress Standards page, where
health concerns are explicitly stated.
6. At night, no individual shall leave alone. When leaving make sure another person is watching you
to your car.

7. Report all injuries to managers and supervisors, immediately!

8. Rodeo Caf is not a nursery, so please to not bring children to work unattended or for long periods
of time. Commented [KW26]: This statement deals with employee
behavior, and should therefore be moved to the Behavior
9. Do not take any left over food items home without store manager's approval. and Discipline page.

10. Throw all dropped food in trash. Commented [KW27]: These statements would best be
classified on the Health and Dress Standards page, where
11. Rodeo Caf will take orders and accept customers 5-10 minutes after closing time. This helps health concerns are explicitly stated.
build business. The manager or assistant manager will make the final judgment on cutting it off.
Commented [KW28]: This should be combined with #8
on the Attendance and Sick Leave page.
12. Never vacuum while customers are present, unless receiving permission from customer. Be
courteous to customers eating after closing time. Commented [KW29]: This statement deals with employee
behavior, and should therefore be moved to the Behavior
13. Do not park in our store front or any business' store front parking spaces. These are reserved for and Discipline page.
customers only. Use alternate parking spaces from other employees, so to discourage robbery
and weirdos from setting up any kind of criminal act.

14. No one shall play with hair while on duty. This disgusts customers. Commented [KW30]: This would best be classified better
if it is merged with #1 on the page Health and Dress
15. Counter employees shall face counter while on duty. It is impossible to see what is happening in the Standards.
restaurant if your back is turned.
Commented [KW31]: This would best be classified on the
Behavior and Discipline page. It could easily be merged
16. It should be known that this is a work place and employee's girlfriends or boyfriends should not with #5 on that page.
loiter.

17. KEYS - Employees who have keys to restaurant shall use them for Rodeo Caf business Only!
No exceptions without store manager approval. Commented [KW32]: Both of these statements deal with
employee behavior, and would best better placed if moved to
the Behavior and Discipline page.

Wages and Pay Raises
1. Rodeo Caf has two (2) types of payroll: Hourly and Salary.
Hourly - Employee will be paid a set hourly rate for the number of hours he works. If more than
forty (40) hours are worked during a seven (7) day work week - 1-1/2 times the regular rate will
apply for each hour after forty (40) hours.
Salary - Employee will be paid a certain amount for a specific number of hours worked.
2. Pay raises are determined by merit. Employees who demonstrate good work habits and ability are
the ones who will be considered for pay increases.
3. Rodeo Caf is looking for employees who will be assets and not liabilities to the company.
4. Any employee discussing his pay rate to another employee will probably be terminated.
5. All employees will be reviewed every three (3) months by store manager. The purpose of the
review is to find out what progress the employee is making and to make suggestions about
employee's job performance.
Commented [KW33]: Three topics are discussed on this
page: wages, pay raises, and performance reviews. I
recommend that the wages and pay raises be discussed on
one page, and that the information about the performance
reviews be moved to another page with its own heading.
Commented [KW34]: Combine #3 with #5. The review
conducted by the store manager could be described as an
attempt to ensure that the employees maintain their status as
assets to the company, and make progress in their job
performances.
Commented [KW35]: This statement should be included
within the Behavior and Discipline section, since describes
a disciplinary action for a specific behavior, and it does not
specify any terms regarding wages and pay raises.
Commented [KW36]: I recommend moving this
information to a new page (along with #3, which should be
integrated here) with its own heading, such as Performance
Reviews. This information does not deal with wages and
pay raises, and should therefore be classified under a new
section of the document.