Rebecca Fulton — July 16, 2019 — July 16, 2019
So, you bought a franchise – now what? A simple guide to hiring and managing franchise employees.
Part 2: 5 Tips for Managing Franchise Employees
Now that you’ve hired a few rockstar employees, it’s important that they stay – but what are some of the key ingredients to making sure that employees don’t leave? There is certainly no magic formula as every franchise business is different, however these 5 tips on managing franchise employees are a great place to start.
1. Offer Training
The training you provide to your employees will be vital to their overall success in the position, and directly correlated to the overall business success. Training doesn’t have to be an in-depth process, either. It can be as simple as giving them the “lay of the land”, walking through the company handbook, and providing some color on your goals for the month, quarter or year. Training your employees to know what is expected of them as part of the team will give them the confidence to not only meet but exceed those goals. Be clear and deliberate when you explain expectations
2. Create A Work Environment They Want to Be a Part Of
Creating an environment that employees want to be in daily is imperative to making sure they give you their best efforts. This certainly starts with the physical environment – give them a space that either feels like their own (if your business model allows for that) or give them a culture that is so good they feel like they are coming to work with their friends.
Developing an environment and a culture that employees want to be a part of isn’t just about making it feel “nice”. It’s about building trust and relationships with each employee where they feel they can come to you with problems and they can be resolved or worked through in a respectful way. Disagreements and friction are inevitable, but the way you deal with them will help to build an environment where your employees know you have their back – even if they aren’t always right.
What’s better is that good company culture is statistically proven to be good for business. Happy employees mean 71% less employee turnover and higher job satisfaction. Additionally, happy employees, when motivated to do what’s in the best interest of the company will help you to outperform your competition by 20%. Why? Because they become your brand ambassadors rather than just your employees.
3. Give Them Something to Work Towards
Did you know that 85% of employees feel motivated to do their best when there is an incentive offered? Historically, it has been looked down upon to take too many vacations because could give the impression that the employee is “slacking off”. We now know the opposite is true. Several forward-thinking companies have started offering “unlimited vacations” for employees and found that not only do employees not abuse the privilege, but they work harder and more efficiently because they feel incentivized to earn the vacation that they will take. If offering unlimited vacation isn’t something you want to offer, there are an unlimited number of other options. Give half days out to say thanks, let them “spin the wheel” for each win they get, offer monetary incentives, or front row parking. Whatever you decide, figure out what motivates each employee, and use that to give them a goal. Everyone is motivated differently, use that to your advantage.
4. Delegate
Don’t be afraid to let go of the reins a little. Not right away, but if your employees are proving they can be trusted with more responsibility, and they are demonstrating that they are here to be a part of your team – give them some more to do. While it may seem counter-intuitive to give them more work as a reward, what you are really doing is telling them that you trust them and believe they are a vital piece of the puzzle and their work matters.
5. Provide Clear Goals
We eluded to this earlier on, but giving your employees clear goals for their role, as well as the company’s overall strategy, will help to keep everyone running in the same direction. On the flip side, this means that when strategies change or there is a shift in focus, let them in on that information. Remember that this is a team, and you hired them because you can’t do this alone. Let the team drive, and pivot together – it will not only make your business more efficient, but it will build the culture, improve job satisfaction, and reduce employee turnover.
These are not the only ways to manage your franchise employees, however these general principles will help you to navigate the process and build a business that people will be itching to work for. Employee turnover is an unfortunate part of owning any business, and it’s important to keep a pipeline of qualified applicants on hand whenever you lose an employee. The key is to always be hiring – but if you’ve found some rockstar employees, do everything you can to keep them.
Did we miss an important tip? Feel free to leave it in the comments below!
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