As workplaces go, they don't get much livelier than Altitude Trampoline Parks. From morning until early evening, employees watch as would-be daredevils ride zip lines over foam pits, zoom down slides, and propel themselves through the air to dunk basketballs.
The energetic environment draws 16 to 21-year-olds looking for their first jobs. To be hired, Gen Zers need good communication skills, reliable transportation, and a willingness to be trained. What they don't need is a resume or more than three minutes to complete an online application. Long applications? Printed applications? C'mon, bruh. As the kids say, that's just so "cheugy." (Translation: It's not cool, man.)
A job application that requires applicants to list work experience can stop them in their tracks, says Sydney Bennett, human resources director for Alpha Management Group, which owns six Altitude Trampoline Parks in six states.
"We have a one pager asking for their name, contact information, what position they're interested in, if they know anyone at the company, if they can work weekends. There's an optional space to put any previous experience they may have had. All of our questions about the person are asked in the interview process," says Bennett, who, at 26, is also a member of Gen Z. "The application itself -- we made it as quick and easy as possible so that these kids are like, 'OK, I have a chance at getting this job.' It gives them a sense of hope and interest from the get-go. They actually want to work with us just because of how seamless the application was."
When it comes to finding, hiring, and training new employees, it's a different game today than it was in the not-so-distant past -- and not just when it comes to young workers. New technology tools are constantly emerging that help businesses reach an expanded pool of candidates, onboard quickly, standardize training, and build employees' skills, which can aid in worker retention.
"Technology has been instrumental in navigating the recruitment process by facilitating the flow and depth of the information we receive beyond a resume, and this has been critical for us in our hiring processes," says Elizabeth Whitby, who owns six Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa locations in Florida. "We can now reach candidates who may be a good fit and connect with them in real time to schedule interviews and have those discussions in less time than it used to take to recruit new hires."
Finding the right employees is key to any business' success, but it can be a time-consuming endeavor. Technology is helping to streamline the process. Franchisees can take advantage of online job boards, automated interview scheduling, application tracking systems, and other tech tools.
Tech also makes it easy for candidates to apply and get updates on the status of their applications. Once a candidate is hired, the real work begins.
To increase the chances that both newly hired and existing team members are successful at their jobs, Altitude Trampoline Park has partnered with Schoox, a virtual learning platform, to develop a native mobile training app that replaces desktop learning. The platform allows Altitude's employees to have easy access to training as well as safety and compliance information. It also gives franchisees a deep understanding of how top-tier training can translate into guest satisfaction, membership sales, and incident reduction.
"This learning management system is a really great way to create a professional standard," Bennett says. "For a lot of these kids, it's their first job, and it's a great way for them to be molded into living our culture, breathing our culture, encouraging others to join the culture of Altitude. The LMS has been very successful so far. We're able to look back on it for accountability. We're able to institute new training. As we've come to find out with all the different technologies we've tried, it is very important for this younger generation to have a great user experience. If it looks difficult to navigate, they're less motivated to want to do it. So, we work very closely with corporate to ensure that the training is done in the most efficient and effective way possible to where the kids are set up for success on their first day."
Altitude, an 11-year-old brand, turned to Schoox because company leaders wanted to foster a culture of ongoing education and development across a system of nearly 100 parks.
Multi-unit franchisee Tim Kurtz and the Alpha Management Group opened their first Altitude Trampoline Park in North Carolina in 2019 and have since spread to Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas. They were named a 2023 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association.
When a company invests in good training technology, both hourly team members and managers are more likely to succeed and to stay, Kurtz says. The partnership with Schoox has led to improved guest experience scores across all locations. Franchise owners also say they've seen increased employee engagement and reduced turnover.
"It's enabled us to run the business more clearly, to replicate the business, and, quite honestly, to grow the business to multi units," he says. "We have great people working within our system, but they need the technology. From an HR standpoint, we can onboard people digitally quickly. When we're doing evaluations, when we're moving team members, when we're giving raises, whatever it is, everything is technology based now, and it's really helped us."
Many workers want to be sure they are getting more out of a job than just a paycheck. The company's culture is key as is a feeling of accomplishment.
"More potential team members are interviewing companies as opposed to companies interviewing potential team members," Kurtz says. "They want to work for great companies that have a proper road map for them to succeed if they're in it for the long term."
Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa recently launched a learning management system. The brand also uses Zenoti, which specializes in software for beauty and wellness brands.
The LMS offers educational lectures and advanced training courses aimed at reducing the steps needed to complete continuing education credits. The public platform is accessible to all licensed massage therapists, not just the brand's employees.
"The main theme for us as a brand has been to modernize with the times," Whitby says. "Implementing and embracing new, modern tools is just one way we have optimized our customer experience. The LMS platform is also another example of how Hand & Stone is using technology to break ground and contribute to the advancement of the industry, and it has been exciting to see it roll out."
For a while, the pandemic made it difficult for some companies to hire and keep good employees. The landscape is different today, says Brian Wise, chief operating officer for Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, which has more than 500 locations in 36 states.
"Employment continues to improve," Wise says. "The vast majority of our locations across the system are well staffed. It's something we track and work with our franchisees on."
Freddy's uses software that allows job candidates to schedule their own interviews at their convenience. He says the brand's franchisees have excelled when it comes to retention.
"Turnover in the industry -- when you really look at it, people rarely leave the industry. They are typically leaving a situation. That's when how a franchise is run comes into play," Wise says. "We ask: How do we help our restaurants execute every single day at a premium level, and how do we help our management and team members?"
Freddy's leadership team has found that the more the company invests in training, the more it increases employee satisfaction levels. Recently, Freddy's opened a Training and Innovation Center in Wichita, Kansas. The 23,000-square-foot center features cutting-edge equipment and technology. There's a simulated Freddy's restaurant for hands-on training, and virtual training sessions are also available.
The center "allows us to really put top-notch training out to our employees, managers, and franchise owners on how to operate the business," Wise says. "In a climate where operations continue to evolve, sometimes on a weekly basis, brands that can update and get training out there have an advantage."
Technology tools have allowed Rock N Roll Sushi's managers to focus on elevating the customer experience, says Craig LeMieux, the brand's CEO.
Rock N Roll Sushi has 71 locations, primarily in the Southeast, and is expanding to other regions. The company uses 7shifts, a team management platform, for hiring and onboarding. For training, the company uses Jolt, which makes software for smartphones and tablets.
Applications come in "almost exclusively online," LeMieux says. "We will definitely take an application from someone who walks through the door, but it's primarily online. The job candidate wants that. The manager wants that. An applicant walking in kind of disrupts our main priority of servicing customers. It's always more efficient when you can schedule time versus the random drop-in."
The restaurants also use online platforms to extend their reach. Brand leaders are aware that the design of help-wanted ads can make a huge difference in how the company is regarded.
"You want to get the attention of potential employees. Every day, there are more and more options for the employee. Therefore, you've got to step up your game, and you've got to be different," LeMieux says.
Once they find a promising applicant, Rock N Roll Sushi managers know they must act quickly, he says.
"In the past years, the interview process was done on set days throughout the week. Those days are gone. It's mandatory right now that, once an application comes in, we're responding that day because in many cases if you wait a few days, the applicant will already be employed by someone else."
With 7shifts, the transition from applicant to employee is fluid, and not much administrative work is required from restaurant managers.
"It's taken that process from the employer to the employee, which benefits both sides. Rather than getting all of their information on an application and then transferring it onto a computer database, the employee now completes that once, and it's done," LeMieux says. "Getting signed up for direct deposit, ensuring we have the correct bank account number -- the employee is able to do all that from home. It's a convenience that today's job seeker expects."
When it comes down to it, employers must use modern tools to meet potential employees where they are. Rock N Roll Sushi and other franchisees understand that change is necessary.
"I'm from a generation that did everything with pen and paper, but for later generations, tech is what they grew up on," LeMieux says. "If you don't have these technologies, you're not going to attract these applicants. This is how they are used to communicating. They're used to doing everything on their phones. The more technology we use that they can access right on their cell phones, the better."