Multi-Unit Franchisee Insight – Hiring, Firing, Training, & Retaining Employees

We talk to successful multi-unit operators regularly here at Franchise Update Media. These busy on-the-go people share great insight and wisdom with us through our profile stories in Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine. Here, from our archives, are some insightful responses from some of these franchisees.

How do you hire and fire, train and retain?
I have never fired a staff member. Those who leave us tend to decide that on their own. We have a real team environment, and I think a staff member who does not do their part gets the message quickly that they either get on board with that or move on. Regarding hiring, I have always tried to hire people better than myself, whether that is in certain skills, attitudes, or efforts. I believe diversity is important and understand that we all bring different strengths to the table. I train and encourage my staff to train correctly the first time. Proper operational processes will get watered down otherwise and we will lose the consistency that helps us be successful. We try to provide consistent and positive feedback for all performance, good and bad. We recognize achievement and growth among the staff and celebrate their success. We put an emphasis on team-building, promote from within when able, and give raises to those who perform well, are reliable, and loyal. We try to maintain a supportive family environment with flexibility so our team members feel appreciated and understood.

How do you deal with problem employees?
My philosophy is to stick to the facts. If the “problem” is a fact, not my opinion or feeling, there is no arguing against it. Taking a firm line on what is required to be my employee is necessary. In addition, the other staff members usually make their dissatisfaction known. Usually, the problem resolves itself by the employee’s choice… either to fix it or move on.
 Jody Gagne, multi-unit franchisee of Mrs. Field’s, Pretzelmaker, and TCBY vending machine

How do you hire and fire, train and retain?
I hire at a different level. I have an operational organization that allows me to hire at the C-suite level. They hire one level down to the area supervisor, and area supervisors hire one level down to the general manager. The general managers are tasked with staffing their stores. We hire and fire through delegation. At my level I always try to hire someone I would want to work for and who intimidates me with their expertise in the area I’m hiring. By intimidate, I mean that I try to hire people who know “it” better than I do. Training is built into the franchise model, and Marco’s does a good job of pushing out training aids and training mechanisms. A lot of training is experience. You have to be in the stores and make pizza. Retention is culture-driven from the top down. My COO focuses on culture every day. Do we treat people the way we want to be treated? And that means all the way down the ladder to every person in our organization. We strive for the answer to be yes. Do we get it right every time? No. But we experience a better-than-most retention average in an industry sector plagued by high turnover because we try to do the right thing by every person every time.
 Joe Walker, multi-unit franchisee of Marco’s Pizza