How to Create a Framework for Franchise Hiring [Free Cheat Sheet]

Key Points: 

• Franchisee satisfaction data shows that franchisees want support from franchisors around hiring and staff retention.
• Franchise hiring tools such as branded recruitment materials, referral programs, and onboarding checklists help franchisees attract and retain top talent across their locations.
• Get a free franchise hiring tools checklist to improve franchisee support.

Attracting and retaining top talent is one of the biggest, and often most time-consuming, pain points for franchisees, yet it’s crucial to the success of their business. For franchisees that employ hourly workers, it can be even more challenging. 

Data from Franchise Business Review reveals that franchisees are seeking support in finding, developing, and retaining great employees from their franchisors. This presents a significant opportunity for franchisors to support franchisees with staffing tools. Franchise support for hiring and retention gives franchisees across the network a competitive advantage in their markets.

6 Essential Franchise Hiring Tools 

As franchises compete for employees—both at the corporate level and the unit level—it’s more important than ever that your company has a reputation that attracts top talent. Employers need to have a clear value proposition for candidates—how their culture is different or better, what’s in it for their employees beyond a paycheck—and that starts at the corporate level. Focusing on these six areas will help you support franchisees with one of their biggest challenges: hiring and retaining strong managers and employees. 

1. Employer Branding  

Franchisees compete with big-box employers and local businesses for the same talent, making a strong employer brand essential. Franchisors can help by showcasing culture, core values, and career growth opportunities across websites, social channels, and recruiting campaigns. By monitoring employee feedback on platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed, franchisors can guide franchisees on protecting and strengthening their local reputation.

Providing franchisees with employer branding toolkits—such as recruitment videos, social media templates, and employee spotlight content—makes it easy for them to communicate a consistent message that attracts the right candidates. A unified brand reputation across the system reinforces trust with both potential employees and customers.

Where to start: 

• Showcase your company culture with photos and videos of volunteer opportunities and community involvement on your website and social channels.
• Monitor employee reviews on platforms like Glassdoor to maintain a positive brand image.
• Create an employer branding toolkit for franchisees.

2. Hiring

This can take the pressure off franchisees and hiring managers to perform time-consuming recruiting and HR tasks and allow them to focus on running the business. This can range from providing standardized job descriptions to posting local positions on the corporate site to implementing AI-enabled chat-to-apply features.

Franchisors can also add value by negotiating discounts for background checks, partnering with staffing agencies for emergency coverage, or implementing employee referral programs.Third-party solutions that offer online recruiting solutions, like CareerPlug and Talented, can automate and speed up the hiring process. 

By streamlining recruiting at the system level, franchisees gain access to larger candidate pools and can fill roles faster.

Where to start: 

• Provide recruitment templates, job descriptions for key roles, and interview guides.
• Post job openings on the corporate career website to increase visibility.
• Implement a chatbot to interact with potential job candidates and answer their questions, both at the corporate level and on local websites/social pages.
• Develop an employee referral program with guidelines and examples.
• Engage with third-party solutions for recruitment, background screening and drug testing, and emergency staffing needs.

3. Onboarding and Training

An employee’s first 90 days often determine whether they stay or leave. Franchisors can provide support by making detailed, standardized onboarding plans, training modules, and welcome materials for new hires available. This helps ensure new employees not only receive comprehensive training but start off with a consistent, positive employee experience. Note: franchisees aren’t required to use these tools, but they are a great way to support franchisees.

Leveraging digital tools like learning management systems or mobile training apps also makes training more accessible and trackable. When new hires are properly onboarded and equipped with the knowledge they need, they are more likely to succeed—and stay.

Where to start: 

• Create detailed, standardized onboarding checklists for new hires.
• Create engaging content such as videos, quizzes, and LMS modules for new hires.
• Include behavior training to set the right tone from day one.
• Use scheduling tools or apps to facilitate communication, easy changes, and flexibility for time-off requests.
• Conduct DEI training and pulse surveys for new programs and change management.

4. Engagement Tools

Keeping employees connected and engaged reduces turnover and improves job performance. Franchisors can support this by offering tools for communication, scheduling, and recognition. Apps and platforms that allow managers to share updates, manage schedules, highlight achievements, and solicit feedback make employees feel valued and informed.

Recognition programs, mentoring programs, and career development opportunities help franchisees retain workers who may otherwise seek opportunities elsewhere. The right engagement tools create a stronger sense of belonging and loyalty across the brand.

Where to start: 

• Offer personal and professional development skills training to enhance employee skills
• Share templates to help franchisees communicate the company’s mission and values effectively.
• Develop an employee recognition program and partner with vendors for rewards at negotiated prices.

5. System KPIs and Metrics

Without clear data, it’s difficult for franchisees to know where they stand in hiring and retention. Franchisors can provide key performance indicators (KPIs) like turnover rates, average tenure, and time-to-fill metrics that help owners measure their success. Dashboards and benchmarks allow franchisees to compare their performance to system-wide and industry standards.

Sharing actionable insights, such as how top-performing locations reduce turnover, enables franchisees to adopt proven practices. By connecting retention metrics to profitability, franchisors can show owners that investing in people and a positive organizational culture is a direct driver of business success.

Where to start: 

• Days to hire
• Candidate sources: percentage of applicants advancing through stages
• Hires to goal
• Employee NPS or third-party employee satisfaction scorecards.

6. Employee Feedback

Employee satisfaction and engagement surveys provide critical feedback that franchisees can use to improve culture and reduce turnover. Franchisors that run system-wide surveys give owners access to benchmarked results and insights into issues that may not surface in day-to-day interactions.

The key is helping franchisees act on the data. Corporate can support owners with templates, coaching, action planning guides, and even follow-up pulse surveys to close feedback loops with employees. When workers see their input leading to real change, it builds trust and commitment to the brand.

Where to start: 

• Implement annual performance evaluations 
• Conduct annual employee engagement surveys.
• Implement standard pulse surveys to gather feedback on new programs and change management.
• Create standard exit interview questions to gather insights to improve retention strategies.

Next Steps: Franchisee Hiring and Retention Toolkit Support [Cheat Sheet]

Creating a hiring and retention toolkit for franchisees is a simple, yet effective way to improve hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts across the system. Download this free checklist to review the franchise hiring tools you currently offer and identify additional resources to enhance their ability to find and keep great team members and drive better business outcomes. 

Free Checklist: Franchisee Hiring and Retention Toolkit

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Note: These franchise hiring tools and ideas don’t cross any joint employer lines if they are offered to franchisees, not mandated for use. While concerns around joint employer laws have lessened, we recommend your legal counsel review all practices around helping franchisees hire and retain staff. 

Related Resource:

Franchise Hiring Guide

Top talent is getting harder to find and even harder to retain. If employee recruitment and retention are a concern for your franchise organization, this hiring guide is a must-read. Download our free guide and you’ll learn:

• Top 5 franchise employment trends
• Which employees are least satisfied
• Most common benefits offered to franchise employees

DOWNLOAD NOW