Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2011 | Page 75

they meet your basic, minimum requirements (documentation, reliable transportation, willingness and ability to work days and shifts needed, wages, etc.). 5) Testing You’ve probably learned the hard way: applicants don’t always tell the truth. Testing is the only way to ensure you get what you need. You can buy or design your own tests for everything important to the job (e.g., IQ, strength/stamina, attitudes, personality traits, and skills). 6) Interviewing This is still the heart and soul of the employment process. The biggest mistake employers make here is not developing a structured interview question set that asks all the most important questions of every applicant. 7) Employment references, drug screens, driving record, and credit checks You and your employer will be held responsible for the acts of your employees. All offers of employment must be contingent on the outcome of these verifications. You’ve probably learned the hard way: applicants don’t always tell the truth. Testing is the only way to ensure you get what you need. Think you’ve read it all? 8) On-boarding and employee retention After all the time and money invested in Steps 1 through 7, it is imperative that a great relationship is established between all new employees, their managers, and the company. Visit mufranchisee.com for more content. Twenty years ago, The Gallup Organization created a feedback system to identify and measure the elements of worker engagement most tied to bottom-line results (things like sales growth, productivity, and customer loyalty). Results from the survey consistently show a strong correlation between high levels of employee engagement and superior organizational results. When you build a hiring system that works for the operations folks in the field as well as for HR, you will attract more applicants of a higher quality and be able to select the very best of those. And when you back up your hiring system with an on-boarding and retention program, you’ll have a superior team of highly engaged and motivated workers certain to deliver superior organizational results. Mel Kleiman is a consultant, author of five books, and a Certified Speaking Professional on strategies for hiring and retaining the best employees. He is president of Humetrics, a developer of systems, training processes, and tools for recruiting, selecting, and retaining the best. You can reach him at 713-7714401 or [email protected]. muf4_c_people(72-73).indd 73 Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s u e IV, 2011  73 9/23/11 6:43 AM