Can Chesters set the hours of work and scheduling for a franchisee's employees?
Chesters Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You will agree in your Agreement that we are not joint employers of your employees and other personnel. We do not and will not share or codetermine any of your employees' essential terms and conditions of employment. More specifically, in no case do we have any authority to determine or set your employees': (1) wages, benefits, and other compensation; (2) hours of work and scheduling; (3) the assignment of duties to be performed; (4) the supervision of the performance of duties; (5) work rules and directions governing the manner, means, and methods of the performance of duties and the grounds for discipline; (6) the tenure of employment, including hiring and discharge; and/or (7) working conditions related to the safety and health of employees. You alone have sole authority to determine any or all your employees' essential terms and conditions of employment.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 24–29)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Chesters's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Chesters, as the franchisor, does not have the authority to determine or set the hours of work and scheduling for a franchisee's employees. Chesters explicitly states that they are not joint employers of the franchisee's personnel and will not share or co-determine the essential terms and conditions of employment.
This means that the franchisee has sole authority over their employees' work schedules. Chesters's lack of control extends to other key aspects of employment, including wages, benefits, job assignments, supervision, work rules, discipline, tenure, hiring, discharge, and working conditions related to safety and health.
This arrangement is typical in franchising, where franchisees are considered independent business owners responsible for managing their own staff. This independence allows the franchisee to tailor staffing to local market conditions and business needs, but it also places the full burden of employment-related legal compliance on the franchisee.