An Interview with Rufus Belcastran

The discussion also aimed to gain information about the thoughts the management of Coffeeville have on issues which would surface due to performance and strategies which the management would adopt to solve the issues. Belcastran: Good evening and welcome to Coffeeville (smiles heartily and asks to take the seat) 0.02 Interviewer: Congratulations for the great success which Coffeeville has gained in Melbourne. You see, it is they who do everything, right from procuring the supplies to offering freshly prepared food to customers...

Running head: INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1INTERVIEW
An interview was be held with Rufus Belcastran, the founder and senior manager of
Coffeeville which is located in Melbourne, Australia. The restaurant serves a wide range of food
products including sandwiches, salads and beverages. The aim of the interview was to gain
information about the performance review which was being undertaken in the café firm. The
discussion also aimed to gain information about the thoughts the management of Coffeeville
have on issues which would surface due to performance and strategies which the management
would adopt to solve the issues. The interview took place in the office of Mr. Belcastran on July
27, 2019 at 5pm. The following is the detail of the conversation which took place that evening:
0.00 Interviewer: Good evening Mr. Belcastran
0.01 Mr. Belcastran: Good evening and welcome to Coffeeville (smiles heartily and asks to take
the seat)
0.02 Interviewer: Congratulations for the great success which Coffeeville has gained in
Melbourne. People really love the food and the coffee offered here.
0.03. Mr. Belcastran: Thanks a lot (Smiles again). Yes you can say that…the coffee here is
really great. The food is also awesome. This is because we buy fresh farm products which are
cultivated by the coffee to the eggs used in the omelette, we buy them all from local
agriculturists. The coffee that we buy is strictly fair trade. The products are absolutely fresh and
that adds to the flavour of the food. People here actually relish food made from fresh local
ingredients (pauses). And yes, the skills and contribution of our staff members cannot be
appreciated enough. You see, it is they who do everything, right from procuring the supplies to
offering freshly prepared food to customers…they run the machine.(asks an attendant to bring
coffee and freshly baked cookies)

2INTERVIEW
1.00. Interviewer: Yes absolutely…even I drop to have some coffee at times (smile). Speaking
about the employees, they are undergoing their annual performance review. Please enlighten us
about the review process.
1.02. Mr. Belcastran: Well…to be honest the review is still under commencement and I cannot
reveal much about it. (Attendant arrives with coffee and cookies. Mr. Belcastran offers a cup of
coffee to me and takes the other himself) Yes, it is that process we all look forward to all the year
with a bit of hope and a bit of anxiety….and with lots of bated breath. The review also uncover
several issues the operations of the company is facing and finally forming strategies to solve
them…And last but not the least the annual party (sighs).
1.20. Interviewer: So you are going through a hectic phase….
1.21. Mr. Belcastran: Yes you can say…(sighs) but as you know being a senior manager and
owner of the company, you have to review your employees. You need to ensure that your
employees remain to be your strength (sips the coffee). You have award and appraise employees
who perform...employees to drive your performance. You have to deal with the employees who
do not perform and take steps. In the end you have to ensure that you have the right people in
your organisation.
2.00. So the review is on..
2.01. Mr. Belcastran: Yes…very much. There are so many employees you see…you have to
ensure that each employee is reviewed appropriately…they should get what they deserve as per
their performance..(a long pause) (sips the coffee and takes a bit at the cookies)
2.0 Interviewer: Please tell us a bit more…it would actually guide so many senior managers out
there.

3INTERVIEW
2.01 Mr. Belcastran: The review process is based on the job responsibilities and targets
assigned to the employees against the performance actually achieved. The process is somewhat
like…well you see every employee performs. Some more than the target while some perform
less than the target…but they all perform. Say, a front employee has served 100 customers. Out
of the 100 customers 10 have given negative feedback. Now, performance is judged on the basis
of the negative reviews in comparison to the positive feedbacks received. It is checked whether
the employee concerned was actually responsible for the negative feedback received from a
particular customer or to give negative reviews is in the very nature of the customer (sips the
coffee). Again say, an employee accepting supplies from suppliers was not able to acquire a
particular inventory. Instead of outright holding the employee responsible, related things have to
be considered as well. Say, the material available with the suppliers at that time was not as per
the standards of Coffeeville and that was the reason why the employee was not able to acquire
the stock. You cannot hold the employee responsible for not acquiring the inventory. In fact, the
employee has complied with the standards of the company and needs to the appreciated (smiles).
And then on the other hand there are employees who perform badly due to their own faults (turns
serious) (takes a bite at the cookies). So the review process should consider both the aspects of
the employee performances.
5.00 Interviewer: You have spoken about issues and strategies to solve them…if you could a bit
on that.
5.01. Mr. Belcastran: Yes…issues do arise as the outcomes of the performance reviews.
Because to be very honest no organisation can bet that all employees are ethical…even
Coffeeville can’t (finishes the coffee). The review leads to thorough analysis of the performance
of the employees by the reporting managers and me in one to one meeting. If an employee fears

4INTERVIEW
that the review would result in bringing his or her wrong practices into the light, he or she is
bound to create issues. Again, if there is the slightest of conflict between the manager and the
employees, issues are going to come up. You see these issues not only exist in the lower levels,
they can also exist in the middle or the upper levels as well (serious expression). And they are far
more complex and dealing with them requires a lot more strategic approach…but again as I
tell…senior managers have to take all these upon themselves. Say if an employee performed
badly because the reporting manager did not mentor him due to cultural difference between
them, the manager while conducting the review is bound to try to cover the matter…that creates
a more complex situation (sighs).
7.00 Interviewer: How do you deal or solve with with such situations?
7.01. Mr. Belcastran: The review process followed in Coffeeville is detailed and lengthy in
order to solve these issues. The employees irrespective of their levels are interviewed by the HR
department and me right before the review process. They are asked to share their experiences of
working with us, their equation with their reporting managers, their peers and juniors and so on
and so forth. They are encouraged to share any unacceptable or unwelcoming experience as well.
The entire conversation is kept secret. Then at the review interview, the opinion of the
subordinate is tallied against the revelations made by him at the interview. Any anomaly
discovered is dealt with. The employees who have performed well are appreciated. The
employees who have not performed well are motivated. All employees go through skill
enhancement training based on their previous year’s performances. Employees be it lower level
employees or managers, if caught to have adopted unethical or illegal means are dealt with
strictly. The strategy also involves reshuffling of employees among departments or reporting
managers…on the whole there are long schedules of activities lined up. Then there are so many

5INTERVIEW
things which wait the end the review process…annual board meeting, annual party and award
ceremony…(exited and smiles)
9.50. Interviewer: That’s great. We got to know so much about the importance of review as well
as dealing with the issues which surface during the process. It was wonderful talking to you.
Thank you Mr. Belcastran:
10.00 . Mr. Belcastran: Welcome (smiles and shakes hand)