One of the upsides to the lengthy recession is that the quick-service restaurant industry has enjoyed a respite from its notoriously high turnover rates. That break may be ending soon, if operators haven't taken steps to engage their employees, experts say. Employees who've stuck around because there was nowhere else to go may be eager to jump ship as companies have once again started recruiting based on recent signs that the recovery has slowly begun.
Recent research from Gallup Consulting shows a dramatic difference in productivity, profitability, safety incidents and absenteeism in highly engaged versus disengaged groups. The report notes that engaged organizations have 2.6 times the earnings per share growth rate compared to organizations with lower engagement in their same industry. Translation: Companies that strive for a higher level of employee engagement reap the benefits financially.
To keep their best employees, operators can take a number of steps, from making sure employees are adequately trained so that they fully understand their roles to creating a company culture.
McDonald's, for example, recently was named one of Working Mother magazine's Best Companies for Hourly Workers because of its family-friendly work policies, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The company offers a number of benefits to its hourly employees, including a 12-week maternity leave at 50 percent pay, 10 percent discounts at national child-care chains and medical, dental and vision insurance to those who work at least 20 hours weekly.
Here is a look at three tools or strategies to keep your employees engaged:
Kronos Inc. offers a variety of workforce management tools aimed at improving the efficiency of management tasks since employee satifaction and retention is directly correlated to that of the managers. Tools include automated labor management tools, such as automated scheduling and hiring management software. Automated scheduling uses labor forecasting tools to ensure the store is adequately staffed at peak times as well as ensures employee requests are met.
HotSchedules, also a provider of online employee scheduling and labor management solutions, is an incredibly valuable tool to help its customers engage with their employees and increase retention. In addition to its core employee scheduling tools, the company also offers internal messaging features via iPhone and BlackBerry applications to enhance communication with individual employees and managers about scheduling as well as to broadcast messages to all employees in a location or across a region or chain. Companies can also integrate their Twitter feed into their HotSchedules portal, so every employee that logs in to check or change their schedule can see what their employer is talking about online.
The National Restaurant Association has made jobs and careers No. 1 among its four industry imperatives as outlined in its five-year strategic plan. The goals include focusing on attracting entry-level employees and on encouraging them to develop a career in foodservice, increasing labor supply and retention in the industry and improving management practices in order to increase employee satisfaction. One strategy the association has implemented is its ProStart career-building program for high school students interested in culinary arts and foodservice management. Operators can participate by hiring from the ProStart program as well as becoming mentors to the students. By introducing high school students to foodservice careers, the association hopes to build tomorrow's industry leaders.
