The growing prevalence of “click-to-apply” job applications has resulted in people submitting their applications to numerous job postings within seconds, often accepting the first offer they receive. This rushed approach leads to a decrease in hiring accuracy and an increase in employee turnover.
Many franchisees are incorporating a new, innovative hiring tool called Sprockets to curb these negative results. Rather than having managers manually review resumes and waste time interviewing applicants who likely won’t work out, Sprockets tells them who the best candidates are based on three pre-interview questions. The platform automatically analyzes their responses to identify key personality traits and assigns them a red, yellow, or green score based on their likelihood of succeeding in the specific restaurant.
It also helps managers recognize which applicants are highly interested and resonate with the core culture and values of the restaurant. “This feature was a game changer in the hiring process,” says Tony Figueroa, who is the supervisor for DeeAnn Management Company and responsible for overseeing the operations of two McDonald’s restaurants. “We no longer deal with unqualified candidates, wasting our time and theirs.”
Ultimately, this resulted in an overall improved turnover rate for the two McDonald’s locations. “Our average crew size grew from 40–65 after implementing Sprockets,” Figueroa says. “Sprockets not only helped us address our challenges but also enabled us to expand our team.”
The platform has several other unique features as well. Its real-time alert feature allows managers to receive instant notifications via text message or email as soon as an ideal candidate completes the application, so managers can respond quickly and fill open positions faster.
Michell Enterprises, LLC is a franchise group with 28 McDonald’s locations in the Northeast U.S. Jim Kennedy, its director of operations, attests to the quality of the alert feature. “The feature has reduced the apply-to-contact and apply-to-hire times while allowing us to contact a candidate faster than the competitors they’ve applied to, giving us a better chance of hiring a great individual,” Kennedy says.
After implementing Sprockets, Michell Enterprises saw immediate results. “We reduced the 90-day turnover to 34 percent and shift leader 90-day turnover to zero,” says Kennedy. “We finally achieved and maintained optimal staffing levels. With positive feedback from the GMs and hiring managers, we rolled it out in the entire organization.”
Rhiannon Wilson, human resources manager for Lafontant Organization–a McDonald’s franchise group with three locations–has also implemented Sprockets at her locations. “I walked into this position in October of 2021 with a 90-day turnover of 69.3 percent and a trailing 12-month turnover rate (TTM) of 166 percent,” Wilson says. “Using Sprockets, we now have a 90-day of 53 percent at a TTM of 143 percent.”
This means that Wilson’s organization has reduced 90-day turnover by 24 percent and TTM by 14 percent in just over a year. Wilson also adds that her crew is staying with the organization longer. “The average number of employees who stay at least one year has grown from 11 crew members to 28 since October 2021,” Wilson says.
All of these McDonald’s locations can attest that implementing Sprockets has significantly improved their employee retention rate, job satisfaction, and overall business success. “Sprockets has enabled me to focus more on what is important as an HR manager rather than using a difficult interview process,” Wilson says. “I suggest Sprockets whenever I can.”
For more information on how to improve your hiring process and boost business performance, visit the Sprockets website.
By Abby Winterburn
