How to Hire and Train Employees for Your Franchise Business

One of your main responsibilities as a franchise owner is hiring and training your staff. This is a time-consuming task that can get complicated, but it’s important to make sure you get it right. Without a well-trained team, your franchise location will likely lag behind.

While franchisors often offer pre-built hiring and training programs to help you along, there’s still a lot for you to consider.

In this article, I’ll break down how to effectively hire franchise staff and provide some tips for making recruitment and training as smooth as possible.

Key Takeaways

• A good team can make or break your franchise. Customers won’t stand for poor service, so ensure your employees make a positive impression.
• Creating replicable recruitment, training, and onboarding processes will save you a lot of time and headaches.
• While franchisors will usually help train you and your most senior staff to get you started, you are generally responsible for training your hourly staff.
• To minimize staff turnover and retain your best employees, it’s important to foster a good team atmosphere. Appreciate your workers, reward hard work, and offer employees room to grow.

Why Your Team Can Make or Break Your Franchise

Even if your franchise brand is a household brand name, your store’s local reputation matters. If your local customer base is repeatedly having bad experiences at your location, you are going to start seeing more negative reviews and ultimately a decrease in sales revenue.

A lot hinges on the day-to-day interactions between you, your employees, and your customers. I’ve seen franchisees rush into filling positions at their location only to hire unqualified or unfit workers who end up harming the location’s reputation.

Customers remember personal interactions and the impression your staff makes. If your team is smiling behind the counter or going out of their way to help solve an issue, they’ll leave a good impression. On the flip side, if your team looks bored or seems annoyed when answering questions, it’ll reflect poorly on your business. Even a single rude or careless interaction can turn away loyal customers.

Poor customer service can make or break your reputation; in fact, it’s one of the biggest determinants of customer loyalty.

On top of that, team cohesion in the workplace is extremely important for keeping your location running smoothly. Issues like internal conflicts or a lack of team motivation can drag your operations down.

The experience you offer customers matters as much as the product itself. A warm greeting, fast and helpful service, and enthusiastic employees can go a long way and keep customers coming back.

This is why successful franchise owners invest in smart hiring and training programs to bring on strong employees who fit the brand.

How to Find and Hire Good Staff

Hiring qualified employees is often easier said than done. Depending on the position you are trying to fill, it can take several months to find the right person. Don’t expect to simply publish a job posting and immediately have a pool of qualified candidates to choose from. You’ll need to define your ideal employee, understand where to source talent, and create a solid interview process that helps you spot red flags early and attract candidates who are actually a good fit for your location.

What to Look for in a Candidate

Before you start bringing on new staff to your franchise, it’s crucial to define your ideal candidate. If you don’t know what to look for, you are obviously going to struggle to hire qualified employees. The exact qualifications and criteria will vary depending on your industry, but here are some of my top recommendations that transfer across most sectors.

• Strong work ethic: It’s incredibly important to have team members with a hardworking mindset or attitude. Look for people who have a strong track record of consistently showing up on time and following through with their responsibilities. You can probe for this type of thing by asking questions at an interview, such as “Tell me about a time you had to cover a shift on short notice.”
• Good attitude and people skills: You obviously want employees to have good interpersonal skills, especially if they’ll be in a customer-facing role. Do they smile and make a good impression? Are they polite and respectful? Some franchises do group interviews or role-play scenarios, which can give you a sense of how the candidate might do in a real-life situation.
• Willingness to learn: Franchise systems are continuously changing and improving; that’s what makes a good, scalable business. Good hires should show a willingness to learn and be coached in these systems. They must be open to new ways of doing things and receptive to feedback for improvement.
• Relevant experience: While not always necessary, it certainly helps to have background experience. Even if not in the same exact industry, previous experience in a similar role can make a big difference. That said, industry experience isn’t everything, especially for entry-level positions. In fact, for some service roles, too much experience can even be a problem: if the person is overqualified, they might get bored quickly. 
• Alignment with brand values: Your employees should care about the core values of your business. If, for example, the franchise prides itself on sustainability, you should look for candidates who also appreciate those values. Your staff don’t necessarily need to share the same level of passion for the brand as you, but they should at least respect what the brand stands for. Share a little about the franchise’s mission in the job spec and at the interview, to see if it resonates.

Where to Source Talent for Your Franchise

It can be tough to know where to actually look for good staff when hiring for your franchise location. The good news? You’ve got more options now than ever. Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to source qualified candidates and build a strong team.

Online Job Boards

Posting openings on major job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor will give your jobs broad exposure. They tend to bring in a high volume of applicants quickly, though not all will be top quality. All the same, it can be handy for getting the word out fast and attracting candidates far and wide.

Other Online Platforms

Use your store or region’s website or social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) to spread the word about job openings. This should also bring in big numbers fast. It’s handy if your franchisor allows you to post job openings on the franchise’s generalized careers page. Some franchises also have centralized hiring platforms that automate a significant portion of the process.

Referrals

The best source of quality candidates? Your pre-existing team! Let your current staff know you’re hiring, and consider offering a small referral bonus if their recommendation works out. According to a recent study by Zippia, 45% of referrals stay with companies for more than 4 years, compared to only 25% of other hire types.

Referrals have better retention rates because people tend to suggest trustworthy candidates, fit the culture, and already have an idea of the job expectations.

Local Community Outreach

Don’t underestimate local in-person recruiting, especially if your franchise store relies on the local customer base. It may seem “old-fashioned”, but posting physical “Now Hiring” signs can still attract great candidates and potentially people who are already interested in your franchise. I also recommend attending community job fairs or visiting nearby schools and colleges.

Red Flags to Watch Out For During Interviews

While it’s great to know what signs are promising in interviewees, you also should be aware of some common warning signs. Here are a few common red flags to look out for when conducting interviews.

Lateness: It’s obviously not a great sign if your employee isn’t punctual for the interview. After all, you’ll need them to show up on time for their shifts. 

Lack of preparation: If someone hasn’t read the job description or doesn’t even know what the franchise does, that’s not a good sign. People don’t need to spend days researching for an entry-level position, but they should at least do a little homework to show they’re prepared.

Bad attitude: If a candidate comes off as unfriendly or focuses a lot on problems and the negative aspects of work, that’s worth reflecting on. It could be a sign they’ll bring low energy or drama into your team dynamic, which can be tough to train out.

How to Create a Repeatable Hiring Process

As a franchise owner, having a consistent, replicable hiring process is key to maintaining quality control as the team grows.

Here’s what I recommend implementing to simplify the process:

Standardize Your Application Process

Always start with a clear job description you can reuse with minor tweaks for each new job opening. Outline the duties, qualifications, and characteristics you’re looking for. If your franchisor offers templates, use them. Alternatively, you can create your own according to brand standards. Have applicants apply through online forms, via email, or through a franchisor’s tracking system. It’s also important to have each candidate provide the same basic information so you can easily compare application data consistently.

Conduct Structured Interviews

Once you’ve narrowed down some of the top candidates, it’s time to conduct structured interviews. This means creating a set list of questions to ask each candidate. 

Asking each candidate the same questions creates a fair interview process and allows you to easily compare answers. During the interview, I also recommend using a checklist or some kind of score sheet where you can rate various important aspects such as interpersonal skills, relevant experience, adaptability, etc. 

Do Consistent Reference Checks

After conducting interviews, identify your top candidates and contact their references. These may be previous managers, supervisors, or even a teacher if the candidate doesn’t have much job experience. 

These reference checks don’t need to be overly extensive. Confirm the dates and role of the candidate’s prior employment, and ask them what it was like to supervise the person and what their strengths were. Again, the key is consistency here. It’s best to run the same checks for all shortlisted candidates.

How to Train Employees for Your Franchise Business

Once you’ve hired some top-tier staff, it’s time to turn them into effective and confident team members.

The good news is that your franchisor likely already has a well-developed training program in place. This is one of the perks of being part of a franchise system. Here are a few key points to consider regarding who is responsible for what type of training and how best to structure it.

Who Handles Training for Franchise Employees?

Franchisees often wonder how much support the franchisor provides for training. While this obviously depends on the specific franchise and industry, some practices are particularly common.

When you first join, your franchisor will provide an initial training program for you and, if applicable, your top management staff. You’ll also generally receive other resources such as training manuals and online modules, designed specially to teach your employees the standard operating procedures (SOPs). If you are unsure what level of training and resources to expect from your franchisor, check your Franchise Disclosure Document. 

Beyond that, some franchisors will also give you access to digital franchise platforms such as Learning Management Systems that are designed to support staff training.

The bottom line is: The franchisor lays the groundwork for the training, while you are responsible for actually executing it. Day-to-day, on-the-job training will fall on your shoulders (or on your local management team). This includes scheduling training sessions, ensuring employees are up to speed on the required modules, and providing real-time coaching.

What Should Your Staff Training Program Cover?

I’m not going to get into all of the details here. As you might expect, the specifics of your training program will depend on your industry. That said, a good franchise training program should be comprehensive. It should cover all the knowledge and skills your employees need to do their job effectively and uphold the brand standards. Make sure you include the following key components when creating your staff training program:

Brand values and standards: What does your franchise brand stand for, and how should employees reflect that in their work? Even hourly employees should understand the company’s mission.

Product or service knowledge: Your staff obviously needs to know what products or services you’re offering. Training should cover these in detail, whether it’s menu prices or monthly packages.

Customer service skills: Again, customer service can make or break your franchise business. Make sure you allocate some time to it in training. Teach techniques like active listening or how to handle complaints; you can also employ role-playing scenarios for hands-on practice.

Safety and compliance: Every franchise needs to train its staff on vital workplace safety and legal compliance issues. The content will vary by industry, but it might include food safety, hygiene, equipment safety, and first aid.

Initial Training vs. Ongoing Training

Training shouldn’t be a “one and done” event. In successful franchises, staff learn continuously, especially as processes or software change.

Initial training often involves a high volume of information and close supervision, aiming to bring a new employee from zero to working proficiency. After that, training becomes a more gradual, ongoing process: for example, a quarterly safety review, or an introduction to new products or software.

What to Do When an Employee Isn’t a Fit

No matter how carefully you hire, some hires just won’t be a good fit. Even with a strong interview and vetting process in place, mistakes can still occur. Bad hires can be costly, so dealing with these situations promptly is important for the overall health of the business. Here’s my recommended step-by-step approach to handling struggling employees:

Address Issues Early

The first step is always to communicate. If you notice a problem—for example, the employee has been rude to customers or is repeatedly making the same mistake—address it with them promptly. Provide specific and constructive feedback and consider a retraining session. Often, employees who are struggling can turn things around with clearer expectations or support.

Offer an Alternative Role

If the employee has certain strong qualities but is struggling, it’s worth considering that they might be better in a different role. In a franchise, it’s often possible to move people around. For example, an employee might struggle to keep up with the fast pace and demands of serving, but work well in a back-of-house position.

Know When to Let Go

Even after giving feedback and trying to adjust conditions for your employee, you may still need to terminate their employment. This is never fun, but it’s a reality of franchise ownership.

Don’t make the mistake of keeping a bad fit on your payroll for too long. It can drag down team morale and damage your location’s reputation.

How to Retain Top-Quality Employees

On the other side of the coin, when you hire a superstar employee, you’ll want to hold on to them! This can be tricky in franchises where turnover is generally pretty high. But here are some things you can do to keep the best employees on board.

Build a franchise culture your employees want to be part of: The culture of your workplace has a real, tangible impact on retention rates. Make sure your location’s culture is positive, inclusive, and makes employees feel valued and respected; this will make them more likely to stick around.

Model the behavior you want to see: As the franchise owner, you set the tone. Show leadership by example. Work hard, pitch in, and treat your customers with care (even the difficult ones). This doesn’t mean always behaving perfectly. In fact, it also often means admitting when you made a mistake and showing your team how to handle it with accountability.

Provide room for feedback: Listening is key. One powerful retention strategy is establishing channels where employees can share their thoughts and feedback on aspects that are working well and areas that could be improved. When employees feel heard, they’re more likely to be loyal. You can schedule regular check-ins with employees or the team, or provide anonymous feedback channels.

Recognize and reward good work: To keep your best employees, make them feel valued. Recognize their achievements and reward them when they do a good job. You can do this by celebrating your team’s wins with an “Employee of the Month” award or a bonus.

Offer room for growth: One of the best ways to keep good employees is to offer the opportunity to advance. If a new leadership position opens up, consider promoting one of your most trusted team members rather than choosing an outside hire. Employees who perform well are more likely to look elsewhere if they feel there is no room for growth where they are. 

Your Team Is the Backbone of Franchise Success

At the end of the day, the people you hire are what make your business. You can’t run a franchise location on your own, so you’ll need strong employees to help you keep things running smoothly. Smart hiring practices and creating a strong training program are the keys that set your location up for long-term success.

If you’re still in the early stages of your franchise journey, the good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out alone. At Franzy, we’ll match you with franchise opportunities that offer solid support and robust training programs. Get started today, and let’s find a franchise opportunity that sets you up for success.