MIAMI (WSVN) - A popular South Florida restaurant chain offering a short and sweet work week for its employees has become a combo deal many job seekers just could not pass up.
The Kendall Chick-fil-A is in the national spotlight, and it’s not for serving up the obvious food and service the chain is known for.
“What I sought out to do was try to find a scheduling system that would give our team that gift of time,” said owner-operator Justin Lindsey.
He is re-imagining the traditional work week. His idea: a three-day work week.
“What it enabled us to do is give our team the ability to know their schedules in perpetuity,” said Lindsey, “which, in the restaurant industry, is a very rare thing.”
And while over the past year many businesses have struggled with hiring employees, Lindsey hasn’t.
“I think people want to work in this industry. I just think people want choices,” he said.
Lindsey officially rolled out the new schedule earlier this year with a job posting online. The response he said took him by surprise.
“In a period of one week we had 429 applications and counting. I think it’s up to 625 as of today,” said Lindsey.
He said normally he would see 50 to 60 applications.
“I was a little skeptical,” said manager Alyssa Koury. “The idea of working 13 to 14 hours seemed a little crazy to me.”
She worked through the transition of schedules. The new one allowed her to accomplish a big achievement.
“I can’t imagine to do school when I’m working five days a week, coming home exhausted, and I have so much free time now in order to get my assignments done and finally be able to finish my bachelor’s degree,” said Koury. “I can’t imagine working a five-day work week. I can’t go back.”
And while this nontraditional work week has been a success for Lindsey and his crew, he admits it may not work for everyone, but he has this advice for other business owners out there…
“Just have an open conversation with your team,” he said. “Ask your team what they want, and maybe it’s not a three-day work week for that particular team, but I think it’s a very powerful and often overlooked thing.”
A simple change that could serve up all the difference for a business and its employees.
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