Should Employees Impact Your Franchise Choice?

There are many factors that should go into your Canadian franchise decision. The industry and brand's current state, your level of interest and goals, and your budget all come into play for this important choice. However, there's another factor that will impact operations that you might not have even thought of: employees, or more specifically, how you will handle them once you open those doors.

Some people aren't bothered by employee issues at all, viewing them as an expected part of the job. Others find working with people to be a wonderful thing and part of the reason why they want to open a franchise to begin with. Still, there are those who are frustrated by having to supervise other people and don't like to have to recruit and train new employees. You need to know which type of person you are before you join a brand because it can and should have some impact on your ultimate decision.

If you're the type of person who really does not want to train or supervise others, you can search for franchises that do not require employees. Many mobile or work-from-home franchise models have you working on your own. You could, if your budget allows it, also simply go through the hiring process just for one person, such as a manager who will handle all of your daily employee issues at your location.

Should you view employment issues as a natural part of the job but still have some worries in this area, examine how your potential franchisors handle employees. Do they offer more support and help to franchisees when it comes to hiring and training employees? If they help you find and train employees, it might take some of the concerns out of the equation for you.

If you enjoy working with others, you still might be worried about turnover rates. Nothing is worse than continually losing good employees to better jobs elsewhere. To avoid high turnover, look at business models that offer better jobs. Franchises at minimum wage are more likely to have a stream of employees in and out the door.

Last but certainly not least; ask other franchisees in the system you're considering, about their employee experiences. You should do this no matter how you feel about employees. If you find other franchises have been able to create solid teams, you probably can, too. However, if you discover they spend half of their time handling staffing problems, you'll need to factor this into your decision.

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