For Taco Bell, that meant throwing 600 hiring parties in April nationwide. “We wanted to do something to help us stand out among the competition—it’s extremely competitive for great talent,” says Bjorn Erland, Taco Bell’s vice president of people and experience. “It really builds the employment brand for people that we may not hire today... It’s an opportunity to bring people into the brand and talk about the opportunities at the brand.”
The strategy paid off for Taco Bell, which realized a 41% boost in applicants at its restaurants in April compared with a year earlier. Another restaurant chain, Shake Shack, has been testing a four-day work week schedule for managers in Nevada, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio and Detroit. “They are paid the same and retain all the same benefits,” says Kristyn Clark, director of communications at the company. “It’s still very early — we’re doing a lot of listening.”