The Cost of Inefficiency

Have you ever walked into the most popular coffee chains during peak hours to find a barista single-handedly preparing all the drinks, another person taking the orders, and two other staff members standing idly by chatting with no apparent tasks?

Sometimes, the big chains with supposedly sophisticated training lack the systems that flow effectively.

I do not doubt that coffee chains promote dynamic staffing models where staff adopt flexible operations, moving between roles, whether preparing drinks, taking orders, or assisting with other tasks when needed. Yet how do you ensure that staff remain engaged, proactive, and adaptable during both peak rush hours and slower periods, and what strategies do you use to balance workloads effectively across the team? My research interest is in the attention spans of the workforce in the less focused tasks.