Employee Success: Why Everyone Wants to Work for Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A is one of the best fast food restaurants to work for according to their dedicated employees. How does a company create an environment that fosters team building and pride in what they produce? Let’s take a glimpse into the success behind Chick-Fil-A.

The Employees

Chick-Fil-A has a good policy to hire polite, intelligent and hard-working employees. When companies focus on recruiting quality talent, they tend to have employees that get along better and work well as a team. This can also foster long-term friendships, in addition to happier employees that enjoy their jobs. It’s about creating a sense of family on the job.

The Food

This one is more obvious. Why does someone want to work at Chick-Fil-A? Well, the food is a big reason! Not only do they give employees food discounts, but their food is really good! Delicious food, great friends – this combination begets a positive culture that attracts good people.

Customers

The company is big on delivering top-notch customer service and promotes kindness towards one another. Additionally, many Chick-Fil-A locations have regular customers, and when employees and customers enjoy the atmosphere, it creates a better, stress-free working environment.

Growth

The one thing about Chick-Fil-A is that they value their employees and want them to grow and succeed. That’s why the restaurant offers many opportunities for employees to test their leadership skills and earn valuable promotions. Whether an employee starts as shy and learns to find their voice as a team leader, or someone offers emotional support to help create a better team environment, the restaurant is all ears and eyes when it comes to fostering growth amongst its employees.

The Day-to-Day Work

While Chick-Fil-A is a very fast-paced environment, staying busy helps the time fly by. Additionally, the restaurant has different positions, which means that monotony and doing the same repetitive tasks day in and day out are eliminated, helping to keep employees interested and engaged in their work.

Sundays Off

Of course, having Sundays off also helps employees. It’s an excellent way to give everyone a break to focus on their homework, studying, church, families or just decompressing and enjoying a day away. And while many of us moan about not being able to get our Sunday Chick-Fil-A craving fix, the company respects their employees, which speaks volumes.

Do you have a small or large restaurant and are looking to create a great working environment to attract employees? Ninja Gig can help! Use our UNLIMITED online employment application software to advertise to teens and young adults on social media channels and websites. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Top Recruiting Trends

The art of recruiting is taking a turn, and the focus is on treating candidates more like customers. Companies want to groom and entice applicants because studies show that our current job market is 90% candidate driven. This indicates that companies are not in charge of picking top talent, but good employees will choose the company where they want to work.

This year will see several new recruiting trends. To draw candidates to your organization, consider the following recruiting techniques.

Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment marketing helps companies nurture and attract employees by using recruiting tactics and methods. This includes companies following the latest market trends and being proactive to find solutions to overcome new employment challenges.

Inbound Recruiting

Inbound Recruiting involves a company taking a proactive and continual approach to help attract new candidates into choosing them as their next employer. The primary goal when utilizing inbound recruiting is to attract, convert and engage candidates. Many companies use social media to help accomplish these goals, which are excellent strategies long-term.

Employer Branding

Building an employer brand is an essential component in attracting top tier talent to an organization. Employer branding refers to several different aspects, including a company’s reputation, their overall popularity as an employer and how they value their employees. Research shows that nearly 75% of applicants research a company’s reputation before applying for a position. Companies that have poor reputations can often struggle to attract and retain quality candidates.

Social Recruiting

Social media channels are a popular way to boost job recruitment. This can include Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, job boards, forums and websites. Staying up-to-date and advertising upcoming or open positions, and using a job management board such as Ninja Gig, are excellent recruiting strategies.

Employee Referrals

One of the best ways to find top talent is to have a company program that supports employee referrals. Employees that are referred to a company take the least amount of time to hire and usually will accept less money, especially if friends boast about a healthy work environment.

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2019 Workplace Trends

As 2019 gains full speed ahead, some new workplace trends will be popping up in companies across America. We want to highlight a couple of these important trends that will define the workplace over the coming several months.

Centralized Communication

Workplaces need a form of centralized communication to ensure that all employees are on the same page. While some companies have tried instant messaging to help curtail overflowing inboxes, reports show that employees feel pressure to respond to instant messages immediately. This also decreases overall productivity and may lead to employees having difficulty concentrating on tasks. While instant messages and other chat applications will not disappear, we anticipate they will take a backseat, and we will see a shift in overall communication within companies.

Work-Life Balance

With the advent of technology and digital tools, many employees can work remotely and set their schedules. However, the push for work-life balance will be a central theme for employees. Companies need to let their teams know that work-life balance is a priority to them to help boost employee morale. In fact, work-life balance comes in third when employees consider essential job security components, with salary and job security coming in first and second. Companies need to set clear expectations and boundaries, and not expect employees to be readily available for work around the clock to help accomplish this goal.

Fast Paced Environments

Just because employees want a better work-life balance does not mean that the pace at which companies expect their employees to work will slow down. In fact, with today’s collaborative work management platforms, templates, automation and other technology, employees can accomplish more in less time. This year will not be about robots and automation replacing employees, but about how these technological advancements can help improve workflow and increase business productivity.

Mentorships

While we focus so much on technology, the human element of business is not forgotten. Young millennials in the workforce define their success by rapidly growing their careers. However, employees that stay with companies long-term have mentors to help them successfully build their jobs. Businesses that pair up younger employees with experienced workers can help to implement a retention strategy that boosts morale and personal growth.

Gender Equality

A hot button topic last year, gender equality will continue to define workplace culture and personal interactions in 2019. One study conducted by Ernst and Young shows that increasing women in leadership positions by 30% helps to boost company profitability by as much as 15%. We anticipate that 2019 will make more headway implementing requirements and mandates to ensure that gender equality becomes an integral part of company culture.

 

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What to Know When Hiring Teens for Restaurant Jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor has a Wage and Hour Division that provides advice and guidance to employers so they can comply with child labor provisions. Many young adults and teens have part-time jobs, but it’s important that employers comply with federal regulations.

Many teens have part-time restaurant jobs. Here are some questions that restaurants need to consider when hiring young adults under the age of 18. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be out of compliance.

  1. Will they operate or clean power-driven meat processing machines and slicers?
  2. Will they clean or operate any power-driven equipment, such as bakery machines or dough mixers?
  3. Will they operate, load or unload any compactors or balers?
  4. Will they drive any type of motor vehicle on the job?

Here are some questions that employers need to consider that relate to hiring minors.

Do any workers 16 and younger do any of the following?

  1. Cook? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may not cook over an open flame, but only over an electric or gas grill. They may not use pressurized fryers.
  2. Bake? Minors 16 and younger may not perform any baking duties, including weighing, mixing or assembling ingredients or operating convection or pizza ovens.
  3. Handle hot grease or oil or clean cooking equipment? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may do these tasks, but they cannot repair power-driven equipment. They may only perform these cleaning tasks if the equipment or liquids are below 100°F.
  4. Load or unload items from a conveyor or truck? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may not load or unload items from trucks, tanks, railroad cars, conveyors, boats, planes or any other types of transportation. They may, however, load into motor vehicles items that are light, non-power-driven and are personal related items, such as jackets for job sites.
  5. Working inside a meat cooler or freezer? 14 and 15-years-olds may not work in meat coolers or freezers, but they may momentarily retrieve items from them.
  6. Operate power-driven equipment? Minors may not operate, adjust, setup, repair or clean any power-driven equipment, which may include bread slicers, bagel slicers, lawnmowers, golf carts, trimmers, weed-whackers, etc. They may operate vacuum cleaners, basic office machinery, and devices that relate to serving food, such as dishwashers, popcorn poppers, toasters, coffee grinders and milkshake blenders.
  7. Work on or from ladders? Minors may not perform any work that requires scaffolds, ladders or window washing that requires working from windowsills.
  8. Work during school hours? Minors cannot work during school hours, which are determined by public schools in the area. Even if the minor is homeschooled or attends private school, they cannot be employed during the times when public school is in session. Outside of school hours is acceptable and is defined as before or after those hours, summer vacations, holidays, Saturdays or Sundays. They however, cannot be employed before 7:00 AM on any day.

The U.S. Department has many more requirements that restaurants must comply with when hiring minors and children under the age of 18 to work part-time. An excellent reference, complete with specific tests and requirements is located at https://www.youthrules.gov/for-employers/compliance/restaurant/

 

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How Small Companies Can Attract Top Talent

Big business, such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google woo job candidates with remarkable benefits, perks and brand-name recognition. How can smaller employees compete with corporations for top talent?

 

Instead of having corporation envy, let’s consider all the things that small businesses have that corporations don’t, which will help you put together a plan of attack to recruit the top talent for your organization.

  • Small business is less bureaucratic than corporations, which means there’s more one-on-one interaction with management.
  • Employees have broader job descriptions in small organizations because larger companies define roles that are more specialized.
  • Entrepreneurs treat employees as if they’re an extension of a large family, instead of just a documented number.
  • Flexibility is paramount in small companies, which is something that some employees strongly desire.
  • Smaller companies can tailor positions to candidate’s strengths, especially if they see the potential for growth in someone.

When posting positions, appeal to these traits to attract people that want to work for smaller companies.

  1. Executives will want equity in exchange for the risk of coming on board a smaller company. Consider profit and revenue sharing plans.
  2. For mid-level management, explain that the company has staying power and they have more ability to influence their team.
  3. Entry-level workers will want an opportunity for growth.
  4. Remember to highlight how individual employee’s skills contribute to the success of the business overall.

Ninja Gig makes it easy for companies of all sizes to manage their online job applications. A unique feature of Ninja Gig is that companies can sign up and pause their contract at any time, which makes it an ideal advertising vessel for small companies to use to post online employment applications. Don’t wait, sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Improve Your Recruiting Process NOW

It’s a New Year, which means it’s an ideal time to evaluate your current recruiting process. Many companies struggle to find qualified candidates and then retain them, and while some of this is attributed to a buzzing job market, there are ways companies can improve their chances of keeping candidates long-term.

Job Postings

Your job posting is the first step in the recruiting process. Companies need to explain the position to attract qualified candidates. Instead of only listing experience, training and education, highlight day-to-day activities of the positions, including setting forth 90-day goals for new hires. This will help attract and retain the right fit for the position. Instead of being vague, include the exact types of experience needed to grow in the job successfully.

Get Several Opinions

Instead of only relying on one opinion for a candidate, ask several different key players in the company to weigh in. First, ask them to review the job description and when interviewing the top candidates, ask them to actively participate. The more opinions, the better able each person can under the candidate and see if they are a match for the position.

Test Candidates

Instead of only relying on resumes, test candidates for technical skills. For example, if interviewing for a copywriter, ask them to write a press release or article about a specific topic or if the test is for a salesperson, set up a quick mock sales call. If the test is spontaneous, you can easily see and measure who responds quickly, and who delivers under real-world pressure.

Consistency

Every candidate needs to experience the same recruiting process to avoid discrimination claims. While candidates can undergo different phases of the recruiting process, like only conducting tests or in-person interviews for highly qualified applicants, it’s best to make sure that everyone goes through the process. For example, one applicant shouldn’t have an in-person interview that focuses on work-related questions, while another focuses on personal questions. Consistency is critical when trying to find the right fit for your company.

Growth and Development

It is essential to be open-minded during the recruiting process, as someone can look excellent on paper, but another candidate could have the potential for more growth and development, which would make them a more viable long-term candidate.

 

Ninja Gig can help your business grow by attracting the best talent for your organization. If you’re looking to hire and implement a thorough recruiting process, check out Ninja Gig’s customizable online employment applications. For an all-inclusive flat monthly fee, you can use Ninja Gig to customize unlimited online job applications, which makes it easy to post on popular job boards, on websites and social media sites. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Most in Demand Jobs for 2019

The latest list of in-demand jobs for 2019 is here! Here are some of the top highlights and jobs that will dominate the workforce this year and into the next several years.

  1. Home Health Aides – With an aging baby boomer population, it’s becoming more important for home health care. Whether someone is disabled, cognitively impaired or chronically ill, home health aides can assist in allowing people to stay in the comforts of their homes, bathing and dressing clients and even do light errands or housekeeping.
  2. Medical Assistants – The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing job markets, and experts anticipate that by 2024, medical assistants will grow by 138,900 jobs. Medical assistants are responsible for examining and treating patients that are under a physician’s care, which may include interviewing patients, getting their vitals and documenting information.
  3. Computer Systems Analyst – In our computer and technology filled age, it’s no wonder that IT jobs are still among the fastest growing industries. Computer system analysts are responsible for researching, analyzing and modifying any necessary programming systems, which may include debugging or offering support for companies’ computer systems. This position may also help assist technical writers in writing manuals for installation and operating systems.
  4. Medical Secretaries – Different from medical assistants, medical secretaries provide pre-authorization and certifications from insurance companies for patients, support clinic staff and provide patients with information about procedure costs. They may also type dictation notes, screen callers, answer telephones, greet visitors and relay messages.
  5. Software Developers – Software developers help to design, create and develop software applications, which is a significant market for computers and phone apps. This position usually requires a degree and related area experience.
  6. Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists – These careers are increasing in demand because they help analyze and evaluate programs or products to see if there is a market share. It also requires pouring over data to understand customer trends.
  7. Nursing – This field includes nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses. Nursing as a whole is an expanding profession, especially with Baby Boomers needing age-related care. The only position that doesn’t require a degree and advanced training is nursing assistants. The remaining fields require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
  8. Restaurant Cook – The market expects to see 158,900 new jobs for restaurant cooks by 2024 alone! The restaurant business continues to boom, especially with apps such as Yelp, Open Table, GrubHub and Uber Eats gaining traction in the marketplace.
  9. Electrician – As we invent new electrical equipment, electricians are in increasing demand. Electricians are responsible for installing, repairing, inspecting and maintaining electronic systems, electrical, circuits and related equipment.
  10. Construction Laborer – Constructor laborers perform repairs and maintenance for carpentry, plumbing, painting, machine servicing, plastering, electrical and even vehicle servicing.

To help your company stay on top of the latest hiring trends, you want to attract the best and brightest talent for the position. Ninja Gig specializes in custom online employment applications. For a flat monthly rate, you can use Ninja Gig and customize UNLIMITED online job applications. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates in this New Year.

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“I’m the Chief Operations Officer of a small marketing and advertising agency. Recently, we have been looking for a good way to find new, fresh applicants. Most job boards are either too expensive or tedious to enter all the application requirements. We discovered Ninja Gig and decided to try it out. The big draw was the flat monthly fee and that we could customize our applications.

The entire process was simple! We were able to add custom questions to the back end, as well as job requirements. When we posted the three jobs, it immediately went out to all job search channels.

We assumed it would take several days to see any progress in receiving applications. We had the applications go live in the evening, and by the next morning, you can imagine our surprise when we came in to see our inboxes had 274 applicants!

The back end is very straightforward and easy to sort through applicants. I can read through the questions they answered, and if they didn’t follow instructions, I could easily reject those applicants. Additionally, I can score candidates based on my custom application tags. So far, I’ve set up “Detail Oriented – Potential,” “Good Experience,” “Other Role Possible,” “REJECTED” and those based on location.

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AI Overhaul: The Pizza Hut Experiment

Fast food chains around the world are keeping a close eye on Pizza Hut’s grand Artificial Intelligence (AI) experiment. Earlier this year, Pizza Hut entered into a strategic shakeup that has the potential to shatter traditional fast food chains.

Moving AI front and center in Pizza Hut’s operations, the mega-giant is putting together a customer-first approach that has boosted their revenues 8% from last year.

Focusing on a customer-driven strategy, Pizza Hut wants to deliver three major elements to customers: speed, taste and ease of access. Pizza Hut is using new delivery algorithms and even easy ordering apps that use Alexa and Messenger instead of requiring people to call into traditional stores.

Their desire to further explore AI has led Pizza Hut to team up with Toyota to pioneer the way for self-driving pizza cars. In fact, the driverless vehicle could be used as early as 2020 to deliver and even cook pizzas, making customers happier and delivering food even faster.

Pizza Hut isn’t alone. The fast-food industry is poised to benefit from AI in more ways than previously thought. More fast food companies are investing in automation, AI technologies and analytics, especially as these technologies become more affordable.

Last year, CaliBurger purchased Flippy, a burger-flipping robot. They are testing Flippy to see if they can further expand the robot’s abilities in other restaurants over the upcoming years.

While automation technology is increasing, wages are decreasing. AI technology threatens nearly 50% of current jobs in the US alone. Since fast food companies rely on producing food quickly and generally focus on reducing labor costs, they can benefit most from AI technologies. Experts agree that this upcoming year will be exciting to watch and learn from when it comes to integrating AI into the restaurant industry.

Ninja Gig offers online job applications. With unlimited customizable applications, these online employment applications are ideal for a variety of industries, especially those with higher turnover rates, such as restaurants and fast food chains. Sign up now for a free 30-day trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now in time for the upcoming New Year.

2019 Trends to Watch

It’s incredible to think that 2019 is right around the corner, but as we count down the last few days of December, Ninja Gig wants to highlight the top business trends that we anticipate will make a lasting impression this upcoming New Year.

  • Well-being at Work – Today’s overworked and overstressed employees can significantly benefit from coping skills, including wellness programs, creative workspace concepts and transformative technologies that can help monitor employee behavior.
  • The Future of Work – We are in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will create more human job loss with advances in automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Our society’s future will combine workforces with humans and machines working side-by-side. This transition may be difficult, and some companies may face a daunting learning process, but by providing employees with the necessary guidance and support, they can rest assured of their critical roles in the future. (An excellent example is Pizza Hut’s new move towards AI.)
  • Internet of Things – You may have heard this buzzword recently popping up online and in news stories and the Internet of Things (IoT) effects the workplace differently than our personal lives, which are abuzz with smart lights, connected kitchens and thermostats. At work, we will start to see smart work apps that recognize when praise is needed, wearable devices that indicate stress and stressors and even smart meeting spaces.

Human Resources departments play a critical role in watching modern trends and implementing them (or exercising caution) in the workplace. Today’s over-connected business world can seem daunting, but with certain technologies, such as Ninja Gig, companies can utilize unlimited online job applications and help streamline the hiring process. Sign up now for your free trial today and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now in time for the New Year.