How Do I Help Franchisees Hire Better? — A Guide for Franchisors

One of the toughest challenges that any new or existing franchisee faces is attracting, hiring and retaining quality team members. Despite investing in proven systems and brands, the success of the business ultimately comes down to the people who are face-to-face with customers daily. This raises an important question for franchisors: How do I help franchisees hire better?

“This begins with a strong foundation of your company's mission and values,” said Kim Hodges, director of franchise development for Haven, a child care concept. “Systems and processes are great tactical attractors, but at the end of the day you attract strong talent because people want to work in a positive and supportive environment. An environment where they want to come to work each day, feel like they make a difference and contribute.”

“We support our franchisees in hiring by defining what the role entails, how it supports students and how it contributes to the overall operation of the center,” said Angelo Chavez, assistant vice president of franchising for Kumon, a supplemental math and reading program. “That clarity helps instructors attract candidates who understand the responsibility and purpose of the position from the outset.”

For both Chavez and Hodges, effective hiring and retention begins with culture, structure and support. Franchisees own the hiring decisions of their locations, but franchisors still play a pivotal role in supporting with the tools, training and framework that helps owners attract the right talent and develop them for long-term success.

Where Franchisees Commonly Struggle in the Hiring Process

When evaluating hiring and retention, clarity tends to be one of the most common challenges facing franchisees. Many owners have defined a culture that they want to create but struggle to identify the candidates that are right for them or don’t communicate expectations effectively during the hiring process.

“The franchisees' most common concern is, ‘Where can I find great people, and what do I look for?’" Hodges said. “Good franchise brands understand from experience and scale what language to use in job descriptions, best practices for where and how to recruit for specific roles, and what sequence of interview questions best reveals a strong candidate. Not having to reinvent the wheel is what franchising is all about.”

Being part of a franchise brand allows business owners to leverage proven strategies that utilize playbooks, templates and interview guides all strategically designed with recruiting best practices in mind, leading to candidates that align with the brand’s mission and values.

During his time at Kumon, Chavez has seen similar challenges focused on role definition and professionalism.

“Franchisees most often struggle with clarity early in the hiring process, specifically around defining expectations for staff and communicating what professionalism and success look like in the role,” Chavez said. “When expectations are unclear, it can lead to misalignment, uneven performance or early turnover.”

It ultimately comes down to assisting franchisees by providing clearly defined responsibilities, behavioral expectations and structured development paths that help franchisees establish expectations from the start.

Balancing Franchisee Flexibility with Brand Standards

Hiring will look a little different from market to market. The franchisor’s job is to make sure each owner still understands what the brand expects from every team member. Both Haven and Kumon emphasized that achieving this balance starts with clearly defining what aspects of hiring and employee development are essential to the brand.

“We start by being very clear about what must be consistent and where flexibility is appropriate,” Chavez said. “At Kumon, brand standards focus on professionalism, role expectations and the mindset to support students. Those elements are clearly defined so franchisees understand the foundation they’re hiring against. Within that structure, instructors retain flexibility to hire in a way that reflects their local center, community and staffing needs.”

“A franchisor cannot control who a franchisee hires, but a good franchisor provides tools and support so there is a clear understanding of how (and why) the brand approaches recruitment and retention the way it does, and how that ultimately shows up in the bottom line,” Hodges said. “A franchisor must be deliberate in creating training materials and support so a franchisee understands what they are looking for in new talent and why those details matter to the ultimate success and growth of their business.”

When those expectations are clear early, franchisees have more room to hire for their market without drifting away from the brand experience.

The Growing Role of Technology in Hiring and Retention

There is no doubt that technology is having a larger impact on every aspect of business, including hiring and retention. No matter what part of the business you’re referencing, it’s important that this technology doesn’t replace human relationships but enhances them.

For Haven, the value of technology is not just in moving more of the process online. The real opportunity is using the platform to make hiring, onboarding and training easier to manage without making the experience feel impersonal. The Haven platform will facilitate application submission, allow franchisees to track candidates, take notes and manage the process with greater ease.

“Onboarding and training new talent is no longer about sitting someone in front of a screen for hours of long videos,” Hodges said. “Whatever LMS a franchisor utilizes, they should consider the benefits of a mobile-friendly platform where training can happen in shorter bursts, with content available in various formats: videos, slide decks and written sections drawn directly from the operations manual to accommodate different learning styles.”

Haven is utilizing technology to streamline operations and remove some of the administrative aspects of the hiring and onboarding process, similarly to the approach that Kumon is taking.

“Technology plays a supporting role by providing visibility and consistency to how staff are onboarded and developed,” Chavez said. “We use digital training resources to make role expectations clear, ensure consistent access to learning materials and help track progress over time. This allows franchisees to focus less on administrative oversight and more on coaching and day-to-day operations.”

Technology can serve as a valuable support tool, but it’s critical to remember that it doesn’t completely eliminate people.

Building Teams That Stay, Not Just Get Hired

Helping franchisees hire better is only part of the challenge. Long-term growth depends on retaining and developing that talent over time. That comes down to the structure of onboarding and ongoing training.

“We support franchisees by helping them think about staff roles as developmental, with a clear progression and defined responsibilities at each stage,” Chavez said. “This allows instructors to set expectations early and guide growth intentionally rather than reactively.”

“The short answer: culture, culture, culture. What that encompasses is a franchisor providing tools and training to optimize recruitment playbooks specific to the brand, and facilitating effective engagement between franchisees and their employees — to hire well, onboard well, retain talent, and coach up or coach out those who are not a good fit,” Hodges said. “At Haven, one of the fundamental elements of our culture is an environment that allows for consistent and ongoing feedback, genuine recognition and treating employees as people rather than assets.”

It comes down to team members feeling supported and seen as part of the team. This allows them to remain engaged while seeking opportunities to grow their career with the brand.

Key Takeaways for Franchise Leaders

Building successful teams requires more than just hiring to fill open positions. Franchise hiring and retention require a strategic approach that creates environments where employees can thrive. To strengthen hiring outcomes across your system:

Develop recruitment processes that go beyond skills and experience, dive into culture and mission alignment.
Set franchisees up for success with hiring playbooks, onboarding frameworks and development pathways.
Use technology as an assistant to simplify tasks while creating more opportunities for authentic human connection.

The strongest franchise systems understand that great customer experiences begin with great employees. By combining culture, structure, training and technology, franchisors can help franchisees build teams that don't just get hired; they develop and contribute to long-term scalability.

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