One Of Your Favorite Fast Food Chains Is Going To A Three-Day Workweek
A Chick-Fil-A location in Miami, Florida has gone to a three-day workweek and the unemployees seem to be universally in favor of the move.
Sometimes in order to solve a problem, it just takes a little critical thinking. As more and more employers look to fill open positions and experiment with shorter workweeks, places like fast food joints are also facing hiring challenges. Well, how does a three-day workweek sound?
Sounds pretty enticing, and judging by the success of a Miami-based Chick-Fil-A, a three-day workweek is quite exciting. The number of applicants is way up and the operator is reportedly facing a deluge of applications.
According to CNN, a Chick-Fil-A owner and operator decided to get a bit more creative when it comes to making his staff’s schedules. He said his staff workers were putting in at least 70 hours a week and were burning out rather quickly.
So with some easy math, and a resetting of expectations, the owner just tried out a three-day workweek just to see what would happen. It’s gotta be better than asking fast-food restaurant workers to put in 70 hours!
After crunching the numbers, he divided his staff of 38 workers, which consists of 18 store leaders and 20 front-line employees, into two groups to see what would happen. Call them Team A and Team B, for example. The teams alternated weekly schedules with three-day blocks and 13-14 hour shifts. The result? A three-day workweek!
Maybe the math works out a little easier since Chick-Fil-As are closed on Sundays, so that makes the restaurant have a 6-day work week. Although Chick-Fil-A is a polarizing restaurant, the organization is known to treat its staff with respect and deep care.
This example is proof of that point. The owner put his workers’ care first and set out to solve that and ended up attracting more applicants. And that solves the main problem! The three-day workweek ended up showing a 100% retention rate for managers and about 420 new candidates!
And all those applicants, if hired, will have that three-day workweek cut out for them. The company has done nothing but grow so much that some companies are calling the restaurant out to do something about it. Turns out their drive-thru lines are causing just too much congestion.
Chicken prices have been going up with inflation occurring, except for chicken wings. With many prices going up due to inflation, the price of chicken wings has actually gone down because of supply and demand. So, maybe Chick-Fil-A’s prices have looked a bit more attractive than other restaurants.
Life seems just peachy at Chick-Fil-A, especially in Miami with a three-day workweek. The days may be long, but the time off to recharge is a great option. The numbers show that that specific cadence really works for them.
With chicken of all kinds to choose from with chicken wraps, chicken nuggets, and chicken sandwiches (with a pickle), the organization may still be reeling from bad PR. Allegedly chicken nuggets were cross-contaminated with dairy which may be detrimental to those with dairy allergies. But, hey, a three-day workweek can fix just about anything!
