Solutions for Attracting and Retaining Talent

Any franchise operator will tell you, finding and keeping the talented employees to run their stores is an ongoing challenge. The labor pool of quality, dependable employees is often not that deep and the good ones can be difficult to recruit. But there are strategies franchisees can use that will not only help them lure in the best employees but also reward those employees, keep them satisfied, and keep customers happy and coming back.

For example, successful franchisees say you should be utilizing all that social media has to offer when it comes to recruiting employees. Facebook and LinkedIn are a great start for finding employees. And don’t neglect online recruiting companies like People Matter, Snag A Job, and Indeed.

Last year, Del Taco multi-unit operator Brent Veach told Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine that these recruitment sites are a great tool for hiring for his 31 units in the greater Phoenix area. He said it’s important to update ads regularly.

However, he also said he relies on old school techniques like offering employees referral bonuses and putting up notices for available positions in the windows or at the front counters of his restaurants. He said the notices are eye-catching for people who go to his restaurants and they tap into a pool of potential employees who are already familiar with Del Taco.

Look within the organization for talent that is ripe for growth, said Brandon Hill, a Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa operator. “Promotion from within has been our most effective tool,” Hill said. “We’ve had great success in moving our hourly partners to certification as trainers, then to hourly shift leaders and, finally, to management.” Half the open positions he posts are filled by current employees, he said, “and knowing that that approach is what we follow is attractive to our external hires. Seeing the promotion from within “inspires our people to strive for that next position—and that’s great for the quality of our operations as well as morale,” he said.

Finding and keeping great talent remains a challenge for franchise operators and it’s one of the reasons a session will be devoted to it at this year’s Multi-Unit Franchising Conference held April 3-6 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The session is titled “Attract & Recruit the Best Talent for Your Franchises” and it will focus on tried and true strategies for attracting top employees. Experienced and successful franchisee panelists will discuss tools to help effectively implement strategies and how to reach and connect with younger job seekers through different technologies. Those who attend will garner nuggets and helpful hints they can implement within their organizations and rise to the status of employer of choice for employees in any market.

The speakers for this session will be Charles Keyser, who operates Little Caesars and Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning franchise locations; Mike Walls, a Caring Senior Service franchisee; Pratiksha Rigley, a Primrose Schools franchisee, Joe Springer, a Captain D's franchisee; and Emily Harrington, a Tropical Smoothie Café franchisee.

For more information about the conference, or to register, visit www.multiunitfranchisingconference.com.