The People Report Workforce Index, which measures market pressures on restaurant employment, rose in the second quarter of 2012 to its highest level since 2007, an indication that operators will continue to face challenges regarding recruitment and retention.

The Workforce Index, based on surveys of restaurant human resources departments and recruiters, stood at 69, about six points higher than in the previous quarter. It was the Workforce Index’s highest reading since the first quarter of 2007, before the recession began.

The Workforce Index measures from a baseline value of 50, with any results over that level indicating increased pressures on the five components: employment levels, recruiting difficulty, vacancies, employment expectations and turnover.

“If you look at employment pressures being reported to us,” said Joni Doolin, founder of the Dallas-based People Report, “they are the highest since first quarter 2007. It is very clear that the market is starting to move, particularly when you look at the bellwether of QSR.”

Doolin said the Workforce Index number for the quick-service segment in the second quarter, which rose to 75.2 from 66.6 in the first quarter, was “the canary in the coal mine” and a harbinger of a tougher job market ahead for other categories.

“Those employees in QSR, typically if they are well trained and well qualified, will then as they get more experience and get a little older have the opportunity to move into casual-dining jobs, where they can potentially make more money,” Doolin said. Turnover in QSR traditionally has been higher than in any other segments, she noted.

Workforce Index readings higher than 60 indicate especially stiff pressures, and by segment the second quarter readings compared to first quarter were:

• Quick Service: 75.2, up from 66.6
• Fast Casual/Family Dining: 69.6, up from 61.3
• Casual Dining: 67.1, up from 61.5
• Upscale Casual/Fine Dining: 68.2, up from 66.0

Doolin said that if the Workforce Index numbers continue to be positive employers will begin to see an impact on restaurant hiring by the middle of summer.

“I would be strategically accessing my current staffing levels, and I would be accelerating anything in my arsenal relative to retaining employees and to understanding what their plans are for the next couple of quarters," Doolin recommended to restaurant operators. "And I would be increasing my awareness about the job market and becoming more aggressive about adding staff where I could. I wouldn’t wait until I had a problem.”

The People Report index found that each industry segment also recorded an overall index value of 67 or higher in the second quarter.

“Of particular note, the Employment Expectations component recorded its highest reading (82.7) in the history of the Index,” the report said.

The report noted that the U.S. economy has added 635,000 new jobs during the first three months of 2012, an increase of 59,000 jobs over the same period in 2011.

“Fueled by solid but unspectacular monthly job gains, unemployment dipped to 8.2 percent in March — its lowest rate in over three years,” the report said. “Job growth in the foodservice industry for the first three months of 2012 totaled 103,00, an increase of 24,000 jobs over the first quarter of 2011, and slightly better than the 101,000 jobs added in Q4 of 2011.”

The Employment Levels component once again increased four points to 68.9 during the quarter, as companies in the industry continued to add to their payrolls.

Looking ahead, the Workforce Index’s Employment Expectations registered a value of 82.7, indicating strong job growth is expected in the industry in the next quarter. Seventy percent of companies plan to add staff at the hourly level in the quarter. At the management level, 59 percent of companies plan to add staff.

Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

Our business is growing rapidly and we need to add another rockstar to the team! If you are an experienced sales leader, who can at least be friends with marketing, have read the last three books by Seth Godin, really “get” moving flywheels & ringing cowbells, make bets with yourself on an hourly basis, consider yourself a CRM guru, and can’t spell “personal assistant”, you may want to read the rest of this job post. If you have your own cowbell this could be even more ideal.

We are a small entrepreneurial team, that serves hundreds of large service sector employers. We are a software company, a player in the business intelligence space & a research powerhouse. Our core brands, People Report and Black Box Intelligence, provide workplace and marketplace data, trends and benchmarks for the half trillion dollar foodservice industry. When we catch a cold, the economy sneezes; businesses need our research. Still interested?

When asked that mother of all interview questions, “tell me about yourself”…..you would respond: self starter, passionate, customer centric, relentless, curious, never met a stranger, love to be measured, and I have a great sense of humor. If those descriptions fit, and you are a team player, who keeps their word, we hope you keep reading.

Desired Skills & Experience

What we are looking for:

• Minimum 4 – 7 years of direct sales experience; preferably selling into the foodservice industry. Experience in HR & Tech are pluses.
• Education: BA, BS or Experience Equivalent, as long as you can write, use a spreadsheet, and put together an annual plan.
• Experience in developing, aligning and executing sales strategy; that translates to Making Plan! Marketing Experience is a plus & Social Media skills are required. (Having a Facebook account does not count. MySpace is a minus.)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; understands that Death By Powerpoint is not useful in the sales process.
• Can present technical information in a way that establishes rapport, persuades others, and converts fans to customers.
• Off the chart interpersonal skills; ability to develop and maintain strong working and business relationships with others.
• Public speaking is another big plus; we all have to be the brand. Must like to coming to work; most days.

What to expect in your first year: This business in growing rapidly, so your first year will be an immersion course. Expect to be working side by side with the executive team and receive training and coaching along the way. Our COO and our Director of Business Development will be your closest colleagues. It will be fast paced, deadline centric, and rarely boring. You will front for a world class team of business analysts who are focused daily on producing our innovative, insightful and indispensable research products and services.

Your growth opportunities: You’ll learn a lot about our clients’ businesses, best people practices, financial performance metrics, and how to think strategically from some very smart and experienced people. Your contributions as a Sales Leader will be the jet fuel of the company, and simultaneously create your path to personal success. The ability to discover & develop your “profersonal” niche is available & encouraged. Where it leads is up to you. We are entrepreneurs; no hierarchy, no silos, just a whole lot of opportunity for the right person to join our team.

Your Team: Our staff has a pretty strong work ethic and sets high standards of performance for ourselves and one another. We also care a lot about making a difference, in the industry, in our own families, communities and causes. Fun is a core value, and relationships are strong. Your co-workers will undoubtedly be interested in your preferences in music, beverages, hobbies, teams and pets – oh and of course children if you have them. You know, the important things in life!

Our Values: We are a small group of professionals who consider one another family. We get a rush out of seeing our colleagues blossom and grow, and celebrate one another’s success. We strive to be and to work with companies that are socially responsible. We all contribute to our communities and causes like Share our Strength, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Kindness and many others. We haven’t yet completely “gone green”, but give us time. Our conferences are focused on the biggest challenge and opportunity of business today – to mix money and meaning, and we work hard to model that behavior.

Schedule: This position is full time, primarily Monday through Friday. Travel to visit clients and attending conferences may take long hours and/or weekends to meet some deadlines and to close business, As we mentioned up front, you need to be passionate about what you do. That said, we are a ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) and respect one another’s different job requirements and body clocks.

Benefits: We strive to mirror the best practices that we research everyday. We are a results oriented work environment that allows for schedule flexibility, 2 weeks of vacation and we close our offices for two weeks in December. As if that’s not enough, we also provide a full range of benefits including health insurance options – offering medical, both traditional and HSA options, RX, vision and dental coverage, and life coaching. We offer a one month sabbatical after five years of service. Other benefits include Short & Long Term Disability plus Optional Life Insurance available for both the employee & their family members. Other added benefits include our fun work environment and working with a world-class team.

Salary: Base salary of 45 – 60K, plus a very enticing bonus structure. The Sales Leader in this position can earn up to $100k a year.

Good fit? Want to learn some more and throw your hat into the ring?

Apply Here

Dallas,TX – February 7, 2012 - Black Box Intelligence™(BBI), the leading provider of financial and market data for the restaurant industry, tracking 73 distinct brands, over 12,000 units and reporting weekly in 107 DMAs, announced today the release of a ground breaking iteration of the weekly traffic dashboard, Transaction Compass. The comprehensive Sales Intelligence™ suite now includes a dashboard that allows the user to layer sales, traffic, and check averages (in both dollars and percent figures), within the same view, and compare the results to the benchmarks of a competitive segment.

Wally Doolin, Chairman and Founder of BBI, commented on the announcement saying, “There is a need among restaurant operators to be able to not only see how their own traffic counts and check averages are impacting total sales, but how those results correlate with what’s happening with their competitive peer group. As they keep a close eye on commodity expectations, this new tool will be able to help them in strategic planning, menu pricing, and marketing initiatives.”

This latest innovation to BBI Sales Intelligence™ tool , coupled with the power of the broad consumer and enterprise research of its’ partners, Consumer Edge Insights and Guest Metrics, allows BBI to provide its consortium of leading chain restaurants an unparalleled suite of relevant and timely business intelligence.