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Finding great employees in today’s job market seems harder than ever. Retaining the best of them might be even harder. And we all know it’s more expensive, time-consuming, and often frustrating to hire new employees, compared with keeping the ones you have. We asked five successful multi-unit franchisees what they’re doing to reward, recognize, and retain their top employees.
“By giving back 10% to the management team. We believe that when a store is meeting its goals and performing at a high level, it is important to share our profit with them. We also utilize our recognition culture weekly, and it is a part of every upper management meeting. We use unique awards to make the recognition personal and fun.”
“Money is important, but I focus a lot on celebrating the success of everyone. Maybe we go to dinner, send a thank-you note, or give an extra day off accompanied by specific feedback on a job well done. Sure, money helps, but I really don’t believe it is the be-all and end-all.”
“Aside from bonuses or monetary compensation, I make sure the employee being rewarded feels seen. For example, when we get a positive comment or review from a guest, I personally thank the employee responsible for treating our guests to excellent service.”
“We have a bonus program in place. Each category a manager meets is rewarded with a different dollar amount. We also have a team outing every month (bowling, dinner, etc.). At the end of the year, we also have a Christmas party. We give out awards to our team members and managers. It’s a big celebration.”
“We praise the employees who go above and beyond, not only by telling them, but also by offering rewards. Sometimes, we’ll have contests between the stores, and the winner gets a pizza party or the chance to go bowling. We also give out gift cards, little stuff like that.”