"Everybody's attitudes are better now. They are listening to us," says chef George Hegarty.

A Dash of Communication

Although HUDS maintains it has always put a focus on its employees, the 600-member organization has stepped up efforts to make staff members more active problem solvers.

In Eliot and Kirkland, says HUDS Associate Director of Undergraduate Dining Rosemary McGahey, HUDS has initiated additional regular meetings with a focus on interpersonal relations.

"We gathered the group together in a quiet space. What's working really well? What's not? What do we need to improve upon?" she says.

The biggest change, chefs say, is that Salerno has rescheduled some of the current staff and added a fifth chef to the Eliot-Kirkland lineup to ease the workload and prepare for upcoming meals.

"Now that we have a fifth cook, that makes things a lot easier. People were running everywhere before, so it is nice now," says chef Paul M. Devlin.

As one example of creative group problem solving, McGahey notes that directors listened to one chef's idea to convert a freezer into refrigeration space, thus providing enough room for food pre-prepared by HUDS's Culinary Support Group.