One of the hardest parts about buying a franchise – hiring people to work in it. Your franchise is your baby. It’s your livelihood. You’re about to make a tremendous investment in it and you need to have confidence in the people you hire.
There’s just one problem – bad hires happen to even the best managers and business owners.
The key to dealing with a bad hire is having a plan for how you’ll bounce back after. Here are some of our best tips for recuperating your brand image and your employee’s happiness if one bad apple sneaks into your workforce.
Hire a Strong Manager First
When you’re not at your franchise, your manager is. This person is your eyes and ears to what’s happening while your doors are open and your customers are buying from you. This person is also the one who will motivate and influence your future employees.
Before you hire anyone else, focus on hiring a strong manager for your franchise. Go to extra effort to make sure you’re finding the right person to lead your team and influence your employees.
Bring Your Team Together
No matter how well you manage your team, and your manager manages your future team, a bad hire can taint the atmosphere of your franchise. When this happens, it’s vital that you bring your team together.
Bring them together in a casual setting to allow them to vent their concerns. By giving other employees the chance to speak up about their frustrations, you’re better equipped to address any ill will the bad hire caused and repair the damage done sooner rather than later.
Don’t Stay Tight Lipped
As soon as you notice a bad hire has entered your workforce, speak up. Publicly acknowledge that you recognize the person’s actions have harmed the business and morale.
The sooner you publicly address the underlying concern, the faster your team will come together again. Although you never want to publicly shame an employee, it is important to show your team that you recognize the culprit of the wrongdoings.
Mend Customer Relationships
Did your bad hire hurt any of your customers? If so, you might need to mend those relationships.Reach out privately to your customers to talk about what happened. Share with them your plans for how you’ll address the bad hire. This will show your customers that a bad experience with your franchise is not the norm, which will in turn encourage them to give you a second (or third) chance.
Work With Local Organizations
The more good you do in your community, the more people will notice. As soon as you buy your franchise, get out and start working with local organizations. That way, if a bad hire sneaks into your pool of employees, you’re able to overcome any damage done quickly. By starting off with a strong reputation of community support and giving, you’re better equipped to move past whatever harm a bad hire caused your franchise quickly and effectively.
Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, a marketing firm specializing in content writing and social media management. She’s written three business books, including How to Get More Customers With Press Releases, and frequently blogs about small business and marketing on sites including Forbes, AllBusiness, The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and Tweak Your Biz. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.