7 Ways to Keep Your Fast Food Employees Happy

Of course, they want to work reasonable hours and be paid a fair wage. And they probably appreciate discounted or free meals, too. But if you want to keep your fast food employees happy—really happy—take these seven steps to make their state of mind your highest priority with franchise ownership.

Four reasons should compel you to make this time investment in your franchise ownership:

• Happy employees often inspire happy customers, creating an unmistakably upbeat atmosphere that should permeate every facet of your franchise ownership.
• Managing your team—always a franchise owner’s most challenging responsibility—should be infinitely easier and less problematic and stressful.
• Workplace studies consistently show that happy employees are more productive.
• You should save significant money on training. Prepare yourself for a financial shock: research shows that franchise owners spend 16 percent of an employee’s salary on training, meaning that the cost to replace a $10-per-hour employee is more than $3,300.

Watch Happiness Act Like a Contagion in Franchise Ownership

You probably have heard of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Just watch what you can achieve when you enact The 7 Happy Habits of Highly Effective Franchise Owners:

• Communicate your expectations, set the rules, and then administer them fairly and consistently. Employees don’t always have to agree with you, but they should respect you and your judgment. There is no surer way to alienate an employee—and kill morale—than to show favoritism or otherwise behave inconsistently or unfairly.
• Resolve conflicts quickly. Extinguish flare-ups between employees as quickly as you would a kitchen fire. Underscore the proper lesson and then resume business as usual so that tensions do not fester. In the modern vernacular, this strategy is known as defusing “drama,” which drains your franchise of positive energy.
• Create a sincere open-door policy—even if you don’t have an office door. Encouraging employees to come to you with their ideas, suggestions, and complaints should send the message that you are approachable and wish to hear what they have to say, with no reprisals.
• Provide regular feedback—both positive and negative. It’s easy to call attention to missteps and mistakes. As a franchise owner, this is a crucial role. But praising your employees—and doing so within earshot of others—enhances employees’ self-esteem and sense of value to your franchise. Such “social rewards” can be more influential on future performance than financial incentives.
• Inject “fun” into the “fundamentals” of your franchise ownership. Celebrate employees who exceed sales goals, propose a promising new promotion, or take on an extra task without being asked. When employees feel happy about being at work and contributing to your franchise, you won’t have to remind them to smile; they already will be smiling.
• Offer training and advancement opportunities. Some franchise owners wrongly assume that employees leave because they feel burned out. In fact, boredom and a lack of challenges cause many fast food employees to flee. Training and promoting employees has the additional benefit of engendering loyalty.
• Establish “stay” interviews. These are a twist on exit interviews during which people are asked why they are leaving. At least twice a year, overturn the paradigm and ask employees why they stay so that you can build upon the positives of your franchise ownership—and address the negatives.

Keep Your Employees Happy as a Hot Dog on a Stick Franchisee

People who own a Hot Dog on a Stick franchise often begin this process at an advantage: many of their employees already are happy because they know they’re selling a quality product—and one that people of all ages enjoy eating. Learn how you can become part of Hot Dog on a Stick’s “circle of happiness” by contacting us for franchise information.