Church’s Chicken,、必勝客和Checkers的員工現(xiàn)在可以更快地拿到薪水了，原因是美國(guó)餐飲業(yè)人員緊缺的問(wèn)題仍無(wú)緩解跡象,。

由于失業(yè)率一直很低,，連鎖餐館正在全力以赴地吸引和留住廚師與收銀員。它們的最新舉措是同日或隔日發(fā)工資,。從今年6月開(kāi)始,，8家Church’s Chicken餐館將在員工下班時(shí)支付50%的當(dāng)日工資。這番嘗試旨在評(píng)估50%的工資對(duì)員工來(lái)說(shuō)是否足夠多,，而且這家餐館打算在今后推廣這樣的做法,。這可不是貸款，也沒(méi)有手續(xù)費(fèi),。

Church’s Chicken的首席執(zhí)行官喬伊·克里斯蒂娜在接受采訪時(shí)表示：“這給了員工更快地掙零花錢(qián)的機(jī)會(huì),。有些人就是沒(méi)辦法等兩周再領(lǐng)工資?！?/p>

美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)加速增長(zhǎng)和失業(yè)率創(chuàng)49年新低給餐廳帶來(lái)了不利影響,。餐飲業(yè)越發(fā)渴望吸引和留住優(yōu)質(zhì)員工,，而且簡(jiǎn)單地漲工資已經(jīng)不太管用了,。正因如此，它們才會(huì)創(chuàng)造性地搞出招聘派對(duì),、短信招工和簽字獎(jiǎng)金來(lái),。麥當(dāng)勞甚至開(kāi)始請(qǐng)上了年紀(jì)的人來(lái)做漢堡。

克里斯蒂娜說(shuō),，勞動(dòng)力是管理者們討論的“首要問(wèn)題”,，“這么多年來(lái)，這是我記憶中最困難的就業(yè)市場(chǎng),?！?/p>

加入勞動(dòng)者行列的年輕人減少以及美國(guó)部分地區(qū)最低工資上升給餐廳帶來(lái)了壓力,。同時(shí)，亞馬遜,、沃爾瑪和塔吉特向勞動(dòng)技能水平較低的工作者開(kāi)出較高的工資提高了餐飲業(yè)爭(zhēng)奪人才的難度,。

總部設(shè)在亞特蘭大的Church’s Chicken請(qǐng)?jiān)撌斜辈拷紖^(qū)的公司Instant Financial來(lái)快速代發(fā)工資。其兄弟品牌Texas Chicken在全世界設(shè)有1500多家餐廳,。

“幾乎成了一項(xiàng)要求”

風(fēng)投資金成立的Instant Financial還在跟Bloomin’ Brands合作,，后者是連鎖牛排店澳拜客的母公司。最近,，Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants也成為了Instant Financial的客戶(hù),。Instant Financial的首席執(zhí)行官史蒂夫·巴哈指出，一年來(lái),，勞動(dòng)力供應(yīng)吃緊已經(jīng)讓即時(shí)結(jié)算工資“幾乎成了餐飲業(yè)的一項(xiàng)要求”,。

巴哈說(shuō)，在Instant Financial的用戶(hù)中,，餐廳員工每天下班后平均可以拿到28美元,。Instant Financial不對(duì)員工收取任何手續(xù)費(fèi)，而是通過(guò)向企業(yè)收取服務(wù)費(fèi)來(lái)掙錢(qián),。

芝加哥大學(xué)無(wú)黨派研究機(jī)構(gòu)NORC最近的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示,，多數(shù)成年就業(yè)者都是月光族。這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，如果少領(lǐng)工資的次數(shù)超過(guò)一次,，51%的美國(guó)人就得靠存款來(lái)應(yīng)付必要開(kāi)支。

正是出于這個(gè)原因,，必勝客的加盟商埃里克·比特納正在考慮是否要在征召快遞員的廣告中提到此項(xiàng)福利,，因?yàn)樗诤蚒ber以及Lyft爭(zhēng)奪快遞服務(wù)人員。他在今年3月通過(guò)移動(dòng)應(yīng)用程序Branch Messenger啟用了這項(xiàng)功能,。

比特納是Bittner Restaurant Group的合伙人,，該公司在賓夕法尼亞州擁有12家必勝客餐廳。他說(shuō)：“今后員工的預(yù)期會(huì)變成他們馬上就要拿到薪水,。為什么要等兩個(gè)星期呢,？”

Branch Messenger還為快餐連鎖店塔可貝爾提供服務(wù)。它對(duì)最多可以拿到當(dāng)日工資一半的餐廳員工統(tǒng)一收取3.99美元的手續(xù)費(fèi),，同時(shí)免費(fèi)提供三天到賬服務(wù),。這家設(shè)在明尼阿波利斯的初創(chuàng)公司于去年9月在自己的App中推出即時(shí)結(jié)算工資服務(wù)，至今其餐廳員工用戶(hù)群體已經(jīng)增長(zhǎng)了150%,。

Branch Messenger的首席執(zhí)行官阿提夫·西迪奇說(shuō),，大多數(shù)用戶(hù)都把這筆快速兌現(xiàn)的收入用在了交通、食雜以及意外支出上。更快地發(fā)工資“會(huì)讓員工一直開(kāi)心”,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Workers at Church’s Chicken, Pizza Hut, and Checkers can now get expedited pay as U.S. restaurants grapple with a labor shortage that’s not showing any signs of abating.

Restaurant chains are pulling out all the stops to attract and retain cooks and cashiers amid persistently low unemployment. The latest move: Same-day and next-day paychecks. Starting in June, eight Church’s Chicken restaurants will offer employees half of their earned pay the day after their shift. The test will gauge whether the 50% is enough for workers, and the idea is to roll it out more widely going forward. It’s not a loan, and there are no fees.

“It will give the employee the chance to get spending money quicker,” Church’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Christina said in an interview. “Some people just can’t wait two weeks to get paid.”

With an accelerating economy and the U.S. jobless rate at a 49-year low, restaurants are hurting. The dining industry is growing increasingly desperate to attract and keep quality employees, and simply raising wages isn’t always enough. That’s why they’re getting creative with hiring parties, text-message recruiting, and signing bonuses. McDonald’s is even going after senior citizens to flip burgers.

Labor is “the number one item” discussed among management, Christina said. “In all my years, it’s the toughest labor market that I can remember.”

Restaurants are being squeezed as fewer teens enter the workforce and higher minimum wages go into effect in parts of the U.S. Also, higher pay for lower-skilled workers at companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target are making it more difficult for restaurants to compete for talent.

Atlanta-based Church’s reached into the city’s northern suburbs to hire another company, Instant Financial, to offer the perk. Church’s and sister brand Texas Chicken have more than 1,500 stores worldwide.

‘Almost a Requirement’

Venture capital-funded Instant Financial also works with Bloomin’ Brands—the parent of Outback Steakhouse—and recently added Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants as customers. Instant Financial CEO Steve Barha said that the tight labor market has made instant pay “almost a requirement” over the past year for the dining industry.

On average, restaurant employees take out $28 with his company’s service after working, Barha said. Instant Financial doesn’t charge any fees to workers but rather makes money by charging the employer for the service.

The majority of working adults are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey from the non-partisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. The study found that 51% of Americans wouldn’t be able to cover necessities without dipping into savings if they missed more than one paycheck.

That’s why Pizza Hut franchisee Erik Bittner is considering whether to mention the perk in the ads he uses to attract delivery drivers as he competes for their services with Uber Technologies and Lyft. He added the benefit in March through the Branch Messenger mobile app.

“The expectation in the future from employees is going to be they want their pay now,” said Bittner, a partner at Bittner Restaurant Group, the owner of 12 Pizza Huts in Pennsylvania. “Why do I have to wait two weeks?”

Branch, which also provides its service to Taco Bell franchisees, charges a flat fee of $3.99 for workers to get up to half of their wages the same day they worked, and offers three-day transfers for free. The Minneapolis-based startup has seen 150% growth among restaurant employees since introducing the early-wage part of the app in September.

Most Branch early-pay users are spending the fast cash on transportation, groceries, and unexpected bills, Branch CEO Atif Siddiqi said. Expedited pay can “help keep employees happy.”