Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2014 | Page 64

TALENT MANAGEMENT
person is, if you, the franchisee, are not
compliant, you’re responsible. Even if
you have the resources, is it even in
your best interest to have that liability
in-house?” Instead, he says, outsource
those HR-related liabilities to a company that does nothing but deal with
those regulatory and compliance issues,
from checking immigration status to

identifying and processing tax breaks
for new hires.
If you do have a great HR person
in-house, outsourcing the mundane but
necessary tasks will allow them to move
beyond paper-pushing and compliance
issues and focus on higher-level HR
functions such as recruitment, retention, career path training, and other

Passionate Profiler

The following is an excerpt from “The Passionate Entrepreneur: Essential Building
Blocks for Entrepreneurial Success” by Steve Adams, CEO of U.S. Retail, which operates 21 Pet Supplies Plus stores in 4 states.
Hiring. Before we hire anyone, they have to go through a work-style test
that is a profiling tool to help us gauge fit. We use this heavily and combine it
with the application and interview to make the final decision. There has to be
a strong overriding reason for someone to be hired who is not on profile. The
payoff for our business is that we are assured everyone in the organization is a
relatively good-to-excellent fit with the type of work involved.
As a result, the buy-in to our vision is high because people who
would fit in poorly do not become part of the picture.
Onboarding. In addition, we have an excellent software
system for the onboarding of new hires. It makes the new
employee’s introduction to our company go smoothly. In the
first 60 days, the employee’s experience is highly scripted. That
communicates clearly that we are on top of our game and know
what we are doing. It gives the new hire a good impression of
our company and makes them feel valued.
Steve Adams
Training. The training is pretty much set for the first year.
Each employee is required to work through a 9-module online education in
pet care. As the employee completes a certain amount of training, a pay raise is
given. Typically, employees can increase their pay 20 percent or more with these
modules, which are to be completed within the first year. Their progress is a
good indicator of motivation and fit. If we find that someone is not doing well
in this area, it suggests clearly to us that they are not very motivated and not
interested [