Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) workforce demographics are changing, and so are the strategies for attracting top talent. Millennials already account for around 40% of the workforce, and Gen Z will account for 30% by 2030. Now is the time to streamline your hiring process to effectively attract and retain these generations.
The key is more than just a strong benefits package–younger candidates seek culture and opportunities aligned with their lifestyles. Often, they’re attending school or raising families. When these generations see that QSR jobs can offer them valuable skill gain opportunities and work flexibility, they’re more likely to apply. In this post, we’ll show you what Millennials and Gen Z are seeking and the steps you can take to attract them.
Key Qualities Millennials and Gen Z are Seeking
Millennial and Gen Z candidates seek jobs where their skills are respected and earn them advancement opportunities. Flexible hours that afford work-life balance for schooling and family responsibilities are a must-have. These generations expect predictable scheduling, purposeful tasks, a culture of respect and diversity, and technological integration that facilitates their work without replacing them. These qualities advertise your workplace as a modernized, team-focused environment that invests in and values its employees. Without this culture, these generations will just contribute to the astronomical 140% QSR turnover rate.
Bad managers, low salaries, poor corporate responsibility and values, and lack of advancement opportunities turn Millennials and Gen Z away. Over 70% would quit if they viewed their workplace culture as toxic, lacking development opportunities, or harming their work-life balance.
6 Steps to Creating Attraction for Younger Generations
The biggest advantage QSRs have in attracting Millennials and Gen Z? They let younger generations work while in school, allowing them to acquire crucial professional skills before graduation. While many of the previously mentioned perks arise from building a positive workplace culture, they can also be integrated into your job postings with these 6 steps:
- Leverage referrals and word of mouth. When you have a great workplace, your employees will share that. Around 43% of Gen Z candidates are likely to apply for a job that they’ve heard good things about from people they know.
- Connect through social media. Younger generations can spend more than 3 hours a day on social media, making LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram top places to get their attention through community posting and events. Texting and direct messaging are also 90% more likely than emails or calls to lead to younger candidates following up with an opportunity.
- Tailor your wording. Directly explain job expectations and benefits. Transparency is something younger candidates highly value, and it starts with specific wording that avoids candidate misalignment.
- Emphasize the tangible and intangible benefits of being part of your team. Share benefits and highlight how you ensure flexible but predictable scheduling, build a positive workplace culture of respect, actively practice diversity of people and ideas, and incorporate technology without sacrificing your employees’ sense of purpose.
- Avoid cliches that younger generations view as red flags. Younger generations perceive phrasing like “our team is a family” as compensation for a lack of actual benefits glossed over with positive-sounding language that lacks substance.
- Prioritize skills-based hiring. Over 70% of Millennial and Gen Z business owners use skills-based hiring. Such hiring connects you more directly to quality candidates. When you talk about it in your hiring posts, that tells younger candidates that you value their competencies.
Use Seasonal Hiring to Talent Scout
Turning your seasonal influx into a chance to identify and develop rapport with employees with rockstar potential could net you repeat seasonal workers, stabilizing your workforce. Millennials and Gen Z see QSR roles as stepping stones of skill development, and many of them are still in school. Connect with them via university job fairs. Show them how skills they gain on the job with you, like teamwork, communication, and management, better prepare them for their larger career goals. Rather than thinking of seasonal employees as a loss once they leave, invest in them while they are with you to increase the likelihood that they return during the next seasonal rush, or even become permanent team members.
Assess for Success
Over 80% of candidates expect the hiring process to take no more than two weeks. Delays result in two-thirds of Gen Z candidates accepting other, quicker offers. Accelerate your hiring process to secure your top candidates before competitors do. Skills-based hiring through pre-employment assessments is a proven solution.
Pre-employment assessments zero in on top traits like teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, and work ethic, streamlining your hiring pipeline. These assessments let you create a framework for best fit candidates; then, the assessment algorithm matches your needs to applications. Survey a candidate’s skills, personality, problem-solving approach, and more early on, making your hiring process more efficient and transparent. Only take further hiring steps like realistic job previews and interviews with those that meet your standards on the initial assessments, and you save time and money while efficiently sourcing quality talent.
Conclusion
Millennial and Gen Z candidates are dominating the QSR talent pool. Those whose needs and goals align with yours are more likely to remain or to return for seasonal work. Leveraging pre-employment assessments efficiently connects you with young talent, giving your hiring managers a retainment and recruitment roadmap.
HighMatch streamlines this process with Industrial-Organizational psychologist backed assessments that provide data-driven insights into a candidate’s personality and skills. Our assessments are uniquely collaborative: your team gets to designate their parameters and preferred language, giving you greater control over who and how you hire.
With HighMatch, integrate a suite of tools that puts your hiring managers’ energy towards sourcing the best talent in this younger workforce. We give you the tools and confidence to connect effectively with Millennials and Gen Z, opening your workplace to greater possibility and productivity.
REFERENCES:
- ¹ https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/student-attitudes/generation-z-in-the-workplace
- ² https://imagine.jhu.edu/blog/2023/04/18/gen-z-in-the-workplace-how-should-companies-adapt/
- ³ https://www.qsrweb.com/news/5-secrets-to-attracting-retaining-gen-z-employees/
- ⁴ https://www.hrdive.com/news/83-of-gen-z-workers-consider-themselves-job-hoppers-study-suggests/693539/
- ⁵ https://blackboxintelligence.com/blog/q2-2024-state-of-the-restaurant-industry-steady-sales-and-check-growth-off-premise-remains-key-opportunity/
- ⁶ https://www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/engaging-millennials-and-gen-z-in-the-workplace
- ⁷ https://yello.co/blog/research-candidates-say-waiting-to-hear-back-after-the-interview-is-the-most-frustrating-part-of-the-hiring-process/
- ⁸ https://www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/engaging-millennials-and-gen-z-in-the-workplace
