1. One set of rules for all six
Have the talk within 24 hours, in private, standing up in the back. Five minutes, one topic. Say what happened, say what you need, ask what they need, and agree on the next step. Afterward, write two lines down. The kit adds: "No sandwiching, no speeches."
| Conversation | When |
|---|---|
| The late employee | The day it happens, at the end of their shift |
| The short till | The same day |
| The no-show | When they surface |
| The coworker conflict | The same day you hear about it |
| The raise request | Not on the spot, and not a month later |
| Letting someone go | At the end of a shift, in private |
2. Late, and the no-show
The first late gets a talk the same day. Say how late they were and what it did to the shift, ask what happened, and listen. Then say what you need, in the kit's words: "I need you here at your start time. If something is going to make you late, I need a text before your start time, not after." Write down the date, the minutes and what they said. The kit's reason: "Late is the thing that predicts every other thing."
For a no-show, call at thirty minutes past start with no text. No answer: cover the shift and write it down. When they surface, find out what happened before anything else. If the reason is real and it is the first time, ask for a text next time, "even if it is one word," and say one more means coming off the schedule. The second time, that is the whole conversation.
3. The short till
One short drawer is a conversation about process, never about the person. The same day, walk through it: who was on the drawer, were there any voids, did anything get dropped without logging it.
Three shorts in a row on the same person's shifts, any size, get a different talk. Without accusing them, say you noticed and that from now on they count the drawer with a second person at open and close. "That protects you as much as me." If it continues under two-person counts, that is probably a last conversation; have it with your notes in front of you. Our guide to cash over and short shows the nightly count behind it.
4. Two coworkers who do not get along
You will hear about it from a third person. Do not run a mediation. The same day, talk to each one alone and ask both the same question: not who is right, but what they need from the other on a shift to do their job. Then bring them together for two minutes and say what each one needs, that it is reasonable on both sides, and that you expect them to be professional on shift starting now. If it comes up again, you change the schedule so they are not on together.
5. The raise request
Do not answer on the spot, and do not put it off for a month. Thank them for asking directly and name a day; the kit's script says Friday. Before then, look at the pay ladder, their training checklists and the numbers. The kit's ladder, published on the wall in the back:
| Step | What it requires | Pay | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barista I | Hired, and through the first 14 days | Base | Day 1 |
| Barista II | Every line Solo on Register, Espresso bar, Brew and tea, and Pastry. No lates in 60 days. | Base plus $1.00 | 2 to 4 months |
| Barista III | Opening and Closing Solo. Has trained one new hire through day 14. Runs a mid-shift reset without being asked. | Base plus $2.00 | 6 to 9 months |
| Shift Lead | Barista III, plus drawer counts and deposits, the fallbacks for broken equipment without calling you, and one full week of schedule built with you. Keys. | Base plus $3.50 | 9 to 15 months |
A yes names the new step, the pay and when it starts. A no names the lines on the ladder they have not hit, and says the answer changes when those are signed off. In the kit's words: "A no with a path keeps people. A no with a shrug loses them by the end of the month."
6. Letting someone go
It is never a surprise if you have had the conversations above and written them down. In private, at the end of a shift, with a second person present if you can. Take two minutes. Say that today is their last day, what you talked about and when, and that it has not changed. Say this is not a negotiation, when and how final pay comes, and that you will give a straightforward reference on dates and role. Then stop talking, and do not list every incident. Walk them to get their things, take the keys, and wish them well.
Before you do it, check your state and city rules on final pay timing and on what you must give them in writing. Some states require final pay the same day. As the kit says, this is not legal advice.
The kit's Tillwhistle Part 3 Staffing file has all six conversations word for word, the review cadence from day 14 on, and the pay ladder to put on the wall. It comes as a Word file you can edit and a PDF. It is part of the Tillwhistle kit, $97 once.