With a consistently evolving work environment, business owners and leaders should consider having meaningful one-on-one meetings with their employees to stay in the know about how they may be feeling, and what motivates them to keep thriving at the organization. The franchise industry is certainly not an exception to this method of fostering employee engagement.

Employees’ motivation to give their best efforts is influenced by their feelings of gratitude and appreciation for their efforts and jobs well done. Additionally, continuous feedback outside of the common annual review can boost confidence, and alternatively, shed light on areas of improvement. All of these elements can help lead to improve your chances of retaining employees and keeping them satisfied.

This article explains how you can conduct effective employee one-on-one meetings within your franchise. As a bonus, included are some insights from Profitkeeper by PrimePay franchise expert, Eddie Goitia.

The Beginning of an Era

The era in which organizations conduct annual performance reviews may not end any time soon. However, many organizations support including more frequent meetings commonly referred to as employee one-on-ones. 

The concept of employee one-on-ones is beneficial given that, in the past, organizations may have only spent about a small amount of time each year to meet with staff members and discuss performance and goals. Oftentimes, organizations may not have a chance to do an annual review due to employee turnover, with employees leaving the organization before the one-year mark.

A common question seen among many franchises is “how do we engage with our staff and retain them?” Eddie shares that you must ensure that the staff you have now is your priority, that they are fully engaged in your business, and that they are aware that you value their efforts. This is where effective one-on-ones with your staff come into play.

Eddie recently asked staff at different franchise companies and in different business segments about their one-on-one meetings. Below are some of the responses he received:

  • “My one-on-one is a general review of how things are going during my shift.”
  • “The time is limited, so I don’t get to share my ideas or describe a problem.”
  • “We talk about the same things and the things that need to get done don’t seem to happen.”
  • “My manager does all the talking and he just brings me up to date on what is happening with the business.”
  • “Most of my one-on-ones get canceled because I am told there is nothing to talk about.”

Do any of the above responses resonate with you? If so, it may be time to re-evaluate your one-on-ones. It’s important to understand what you can do to make these meetings more effective. To help you make the most out of your employee one-on-ones, here are some best practices to consider:

  • Follow an 80/20 rule during the one-on-one. This means you need to listen and ask questions 80% of the time. 20% is your feedback, validation, and actionable items. 
  • You must get yourself mentally prepared to do the 80/20 and concentrate on the first point and practice it.
  • Be prepared to ask more questions.
  • Have your “listening points” available and be ready to adapt to what you are hearing.
  • Pick a quiet place or an interruption-free zone, and let others know that your one-on-one is in progress.
  • A staff members’ simplest requests can sometimes be the most important to them, and your quick action on their request lets them know you care. 
  • Don’t cancel your one-on-one unless you must. Your staff members are looking forward to this time. Your consistency leads to their consistency.

A Takeaway

In franchise systems, even if a staff member is with you for a short time, they can provide valuable feedback and they may become a loyal customer. In the end, the goal is the same – receive employee feedback, and provide coaching and validation, clear takeaways, and actionable items.

Interested in reading additional franchise tips and best practices? Check out the following previous PrimePay blogs and enjoy!

  1. Franchise Pro Tips: Top Franchise Best Practices
  2. How Do I Use Franchise Analytics for Business Growth?

ProfitKeeper by PrimePay is Here to Support You

The process of collecting and analyzing data does not have to be manual. With ProfitKeeper by PrimePay, franchisors can take advantage of cloud-based software to automate financial tasks that help increase profits.

Imagine a service that not only does the work for you but ensures the data is accurate and useful: That’s ProfitKeeper by PrimePay. 

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