Why culture matters for the hourly workforce and how tech can help

There’s an insight I’ve learned from over 30 years of working with thousands of hourly employees: they have a deep and fundamental desire to succeed. Success might be as simple as a task well done, a sales target achieved, or a shift where everyone had fun serving happy guests. It could be personal success in the form of a promotion or the shared success of being on a winning team.  

Hourly workers come full of promise and potential.  And there’s no question that the best way we can harness that energy for everyone’s benefit is through a positive workplace culture. When our employees are engaged, they are more motivated, more loyal, and they provide better service to our customers. It’s a virtuous cycle that results in their personal growth and the growth of the business.

Employee engagement affects your bottom line 

OK, maybe you think I’m too optimistic. Or you think, “Sure, it’s nice that my team is having fun, but does that really get me better results?” When I became a franchisee with restaurants in multiple districts, I saw the correlation first-hand. In the districts where employee surveys told us they felt more connected to the organization, year-over-year sales growth and OSAT (overall customer satisfaction) were consistently higher.  And my own two eyes told me that well-engaged employees offered our customers a genuine, more personalized experience.

But don’t just take my word for it. A 2020 Galup study of 112,312 work units and 2.7 million employees found that teams in the top quartile of employee engagement outperform the bottom quartile by 18% in productivity, 10% in customer loyalty, and 23% in profitability.

Challenges of building culture with hourly and part-time workers

The reality of employing an hourly and part-time workforce is that turnover rates are higher, and frequent staff changes can disrupt team dynamics. Hourly workers often have fewer opportunities for relationship building and feedback, and part-timers may have limited overlap with their full-time teammates.  

Some clichés are just true: we need to meet people where they are. As a leader, I’ve had the most success by respecting the current situation of my hourly workers and finding ways to help them engage with their coworkers and participate in the company culture.  Fortunately, there are proven strategies and state-of-the-art technology to help us adapt to the lives of our employees, so let’s talk about those.

Set clear goals and recognize progress

Remember, our hourly workers want to succeed. It might seem obvious, but it’s important that we clearly define roles, expectations, and goals. To progress with confidence, our employees need to know they’re heading in the right direction, so give them a clear roadmap.  When you assign their primary role, explain the secondary tasks they should do when there’s downtime. If you assign them to serve customers, role-play what great service looks like in your company. If you have a sales target or a speed of service goal, make sure your employees know how they can contribute to the team’s success.

And when they get it right, recognize it!  Awards and incentives can be effective, but your most powerful tool is individual feedback, especially feedback in the moment. Hearing that I’ve done something well right after I do it is priceless.

With the right communication tools, giving instant feedback and praise is easier than ever. Instead of waiting until you see your employee in person—which could be days—or texting from your personal phone, which can blur professional boundaries, a modern communication tool allows you to message workers through a professional account. These tools let you send real-time feedback, share quick updates, and even encourage team connections—all without compromising privacy. When communication is easy and instant, your team stays engaged and motivated, knowing their efforts are recognized.

Focus on the shift, not just the big picture 

When your hourly and part-time workers talk about work, it’s not about the year, or the month, or even the week.  They’re focused on the shift. So, while longer-term professional development is important, focusing on shift goals is really important to this workforce, too.  Walk them onto the shift with expectations and goals, encourage teamwork through challenges or friendly competition, and celebrate the small wins.  We want our employees to leave work with a sense of accomplishment and a positive outlook on their next shift.

Automated messaging can help you rally the team before each shift, even when you’re managing multiple locations or a large workforce. Scheduling a quick “Have a great shift today!” message to send 30 minutes before each shift keeps employees motivated and prepared. Customize notifications for special occasions, like a reminder to aim for a daily sales goal or alerting them to a special promotion. These small, automated touches set the tone for the day and help keep your team focused and ready to perform.

Create opportunities for feedback and ideas

But maybe not everything during the shift was positive. Perhaps our employees have suggestions about what could have gone better.  Or, after a good shift, they’d like to give a shoutout to a coworker or share an idea about how to improve the business.  An engaged employee is one who feels heard and who knows their point of view is valued.

Consider tools that simplify the process of collecting employee feedback by sending surveys during the critical moments of their journey. Surveys can be scheduled to reach employees right after a shift or following a specific event, ensuring feedback is relevant and timely. Surveys sent via text message make it easy for hourly workers to share their thoughts and help build an open, responsive culture where every voice counts.

Your workforce is your competitive advantage

One more insight. Your hourly and part-time employees can be a source of great strength for your business. With so many businesses relying on this workforce, your success in engaging them and keeping them motivated is your competitive advantage. And it has the virtue of being good for both your employees and your business. If you’re looking for that competitive edge, consider leveraging an HR platform with engagement tools that integrate seamlessly into your business. The right tools can set you up with a great foundation for building and maintaining company culture, and you can only go up from there!