Why you need a recruitment and retention strategy
Franchise head offices need employees to keep their...
Franchise head offices need employees to keep their businesses running smoothly. Important positions include marketing, communications, HR and sourcing.
To recruit and retain the most suitable and skilled people, franchisors must have a sound recruitment and retention strategy that covers all elements of finding, hiring and keeping the most suitable candidates. In other words, they need those with the experience and qualifications to be immediately effective and whose values and priorities align with those of the business.
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Recruitment
To recruit suitable candidates, franchises must have a strong employer brand. They need to clearly articulate the benefits of joining their team over a variety of different channels so they can appeal to a wide cross-section of society and secure personnel from a diverse range of backgrounds. Some franchisors have had success in recruiting by partnering with educational institutions and recruitment partners.
One way of achieving this is by securing employee ambassadors who promote the company's image in their social media engagements, influencing public perception and generating interest among their followers. Rewarding employees whose referrals result in a hire can be a strong incentive to uphold the brand image.
The franchise should always emphasize the opportunities they can offer to recruits, including ongoing training and chances for career progression. By articulating how their training packages help their staff deliver a consistent customer experience, they can enhance their reputation and become more appealing to job-seekers.
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Retention
Hiring good people is a time-consuming and expensive process, so it is important to keep them on board in the long term. To boost retention, employees must be provided with adequate financial compensation, a good working environment, and a sensible work-life balance.
Providing ongoing training is a proven strategy that improves morale as well as productivity, while aligning rewards with regular performance appraisals is a continual incentive to deliver a strong performance.
Some franchises have found that implementing a buddy system helps new recruits build friendships, understand their role, and become effective more quickly. This builds their sense of loyalty and trust in the organization.
Some franchises have established an Advisory Council made up of representatives from the workforce whose role is to establish two-way communications, raising concerns and group issues and disseminating vital information to the workforce. This transparency and dedication to honest, open communications has been proven to enhance the working relationship between franchisors and employees.
This is a lot to consider on a case by case basis, so detailing the business's preferences and chosen processes in a strategy document simplifies recruitment and retention, allows for open dialogue at all stages of the recruitment process, standardizes the candidate experience, and can reduce HR costs over time. Therefore, businesses that do not currently have a defined recruitment and retention strategy should establish one as soon as possible.
