As a franchisor, you’ll be well aware of the “summer effect” on franchisee recruitment. During July and August themselves, things can seem a bit quiet – like it is for many businesses – but then there can be a sharp spike in interest come autumn. The reason being that many people take the time to really think about their future over the holidays, and a nice bit of time off can start them thinking: “I’m really not looking forward to going back to that same old job…it’s time for a change!”

Good news when you’re looking for new partners, but what if your own staff are thinking the same thing? Even those top-level execs who are the back bone of your franchise?

Why this is more common than you think…

The summer season offers something most executives rarely get: space to reflect.
With holidays, slower work rhythms, and mid-year performance reviews behind them, leaders often use the summer months to re-evaluate goals, work-life balance, and long-term career direction.

They might well love working with you, and not be someone you ever thought would leave, but every job has its time. If someone offers them a fantastic opportunity, why wouldn’t they leap at it? That’s business, right?

Which means you could be facing a sudden and unexpected vacancy, which can have 2 very serious consequences aside from just losing all the skills that team member had:

1) A knock-on effect for the rest of your team

Being unprepared for a sudden departure of a key team member can mean leaving their position vacant for a long time while you find a replacement. Top level franchise execs with the specialist skills you need can take a long time to find, not to mention ones who align with your franchise’s vision and values.

Meanwhile, everyone else (you included) is picking up the slack. Productivity drops, of course, but also people can get stressed and disillusioned, contributing to a future staffing crisis, too.

2) You can’t support your franchise network as well

If the person who leaves is responsible for supporting your franchisees with advice or training, how long will it be that they have to go without this essential part of your offering? What kind of effect will that have on sales and revenue? The morale and engagement of your franchisees?

Even if they filled another role, you’ll surely have to pull time and resources from this essential part of your operation to cover that vacancy until they are replaced – which will be months. It could have consequences which last far longer that, too.

So, what can you do to protect yourself against this?

Well, the first thing to do if you find yourself in this predicament is get in touch! Thanks to our extensive contacts, and our total submersion in the world of franchising, we’re always in touch with highly-skilled people who are looking for their next big career move.

Secondly, it could be well worth your time thinking now about how you can make your top team more robust in the future. That might mean considering how you can expand the skills base by taking on more staff, for example, or putting in the groundwork for any future expansion ahead of time.

There’s one big advantage for you when it comes to a time of year when a lot of people are thinking of changing their employment: a lot of highly skilled people are just about to enter the job market!

Again, I am here to help if you need me!

So, if you’re thinking ahead about your executive team – whether it’s filling a current gap or planning for future growth – let’s talk. You’ve got my email here, so feel free to reach out anytime, but you can also book a call with me any time using the button below.