OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC is a hospitality company that owns several casual dining restaurant chains. The company was established in 1988 in Tampa, Florida where the company still maintains its headquarters, adjacent to Tampa International Airport.[1] On November 7, 2006, the Wall Street Journal reported that Bain Capital Partners and Catterton Partners as well as founders Sullivan, Basham, and Gannon, had reached an agreement to buy OSI for $3.2 billion.
Austin, TX - December 16, 2008 - HotSchedules today announced that OSI Restaurant Partners has selected and implemented its Enterprise Edition restaurant workforce management and labor scheduling solution. OSI Restaurant Partners has grown to one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. Operating in 49 states and in 21 countries around the globe, OSI's portfolio of restaurant brands consists of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion� Cuisine, Lee Roy Selmon's, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits.
In only four months, OSI rolled out HotSchedules to nearly 1,200 restaurants serving 110,000 employees with HotSchedules' innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and virtual training program. Each location used a combination of HotSchedules' staff training DVDs and labor management training webinars to educate its managers and employees on the system. For each restaurant concept, the total implementation time was less than four weeks. Additionally, the deployment came in under the projected budget, and the company estimates cost savings, due to greater efficiency and time savings since implementing HotSchedules.
Unlike other labor scheduling systems, HotSchedules' intuitive and familiar interface is built with the end-user in mind, dramatically reducing the training period and providing a scheduling tool that managers feel comfortable using almost immediately. HotSchedules Enterprise Edition interfaces with OSI's point-of-sale (POS) system, so managers can easily compare expected costs with actual expenses and even enforce the schedule to prevent employees from clocking in early. Additionally, Overtime Warning Reports consider actual labor plus upcoming projected hours to notify managers of potential overtime scenarios before they occur.
"Within six weeks of using HotSchedules, our managers had reduced the time it takes them to create schedules by 50 percent," said Jeff Wallett, IT Director, at OSI. "This component alone has led to cost savings in our operations, and our managers are enthusiastic about the ease-of-use and simplicity of using HotSchedules anywhere, anytime."
HotSchedules gives OSI's managers the ability to communicate quickly and easily with employees, at the restaurant or corporate level. This reduces the burden on managers, who previously had to be pulled off the floor to take calls about schedules and requests. Additionally, it provides OSI the ability to easily distribute important messages or surveys to its employees company-wide, whether it's crisis communication (through HotSchedules' Emergency Communications Portal) or sharing discounts from corporate partners.
OSI's decision to take HotSchedules enterprise-wide shows a strong commitment to its employees, and it has quickly become part of the company culture. With HotSchedules, all front-of-house and back-of-house employees have access to on-demand scheduling tools online from their computer, web-enabled phone, or through the HotSchedules toll-free, 24-hour service line. Additionally, both the support center and automated phone system provide a Spanish-speaking option. HotSchedules provides instantaneous communication and confirmation by giving employees the ability to:
Check their schedules from any location and at any time
Request time off
Pick up shifts
Send messages to managers or other employees
Get notified via email and SMS text message when a shift change is picked up by another employee and approved by a manager
Receive SMS text alerts if an employee's schedule is modified during mid-week
"With Generation Y entering the workplace, work-life balance is more important than ever to employees - and HotSchedules' tools provide an excellent level of control and flexibility for our employees to balance their work with their everyday lives," said Blaise Hadley, regional vice president, OSI.
"OSI has earned its spot as one of world's top-tier restaurant companies through their dedication to employees and ongoing technology innovation," said Ray Pawlikowski, president, HotSchedules. "We are proud that HotSchedules has become a part of the company's culture and continued success."
About HotSchedules
HotSchedules, innovators of the most widely-used online restaurant workforce management solutions, sets the industry standard for service, support and labor management expertise. By engaging with its clients as partners, HotSchedules vastly improves management-employee communications, resulting in greater employee satisfaction and retention and offers a fast, proven ROI through reduced manual scheduling and labor costs. From independent restaurants to corporate chains, HotSchedules' suite of solutions empowers restaurant staff and managers with all the tools they need to communicate effectively and efficiently. More than 2,750 restaurants and over 300,000 users rely on HotSchedules every day. HotSchedules complements its product offerings with a world-class, bilingual support staff at the company's headquarters in Austin, Texas.
HotSchedules' corporate and franchise clients include such well-known concepts as Outback Steakhouse, the Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Carino's Italian Grill, Chili's, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming's Steakhouse, Applebee's, Jamba Juice and many others.
Austin, TX (RestaurantNews.com) On Tuesday, March 1, HotSchedules was honored as one of Central Texas’ Healthiest Employers by Seton and the Austin Business Journal. The event and luncheon were hosted by Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and the award was presented by Paul Carrozza, CEO/Owner of RunTex and Chair of the Mayor’s Fitness Council.
The Healthiest Employer awards program recognizes organizations that are committed to creating a healthy workplace. The event’s agenda included a mile and a half walk around Butler Park, which was led by the Mayor, followed by outdoor activities, coaching and practice exercises designed to improve muscle strength and flexibility. The group then adjourned to the Palmer Events Center for lunch and the awards ceremony.
HotSchedules’ specific claim to the award may have come, in part, from their annual HotFit Challenge – an employee competition that consists of cardiovascular, strength-building and weight loss contests. Not only do winners receive great prizes, but also the longer term boost to confidence and overall fitness. HotSchedules also subsidizes a healthy lunch plan and pays a portion of employees’ athletic facility membership fees.
Accepting the award on HotSchedules’ behalf was Director of Marketing, Mary Kay Hyde. “This is quite an honor for HotSchedules. Fitness is a big part of our corporate culture, so encouraging each other to set and reach health and fitness goals comes naturally to most of us. It’s just one of the reasons it’s fun to work here,” Ms. Hyde said.
Benefits Manager - OSI
With minimal supervision, the Benefits Manager is responsible for the management and administration of employee health and welfare benefit plans. This includes design, planning, development, implementation, day-to-day administration and coordination of programs, policies, procedures and communication related to employee health and welfare plans for all levels of company personnel.
Position Details
• Manage the Benefits function including design, benefits administration, coordinating plan changes and oversee third party administrators.
• Develop, implement and maintain cost control programs and processes to maximize coverage with the lowest cost to the organization and employees.
• Direct benefit administration activities and coordinate changes and other department assignments and special projects.
• Manage vendor relationships to ensure that services meet all expectations and are in accordance with policies, contracts, regulatory compliance and cost control objectives.
• Participate in industry and health and wellness surveys, review external competitor data for competitiveness and develop recommendations for updates to plans.
• Schedule and facilitate audits for adherence to regulatory guidelines and company benefit policies.
• Lead roll-out of new plans and plan changes by designing and conducting training sessions and creating announcement materials, booklets, policy manuals and other media for communicating new plans to employees.
• Review and provide input with legal consultation, to plan documents, benefit agreements and insurance policies, and partner with vendors to effect changes.
• Maintain company compliance with all applicable Federal, state and local laws.
• Review and analyze changes to state and federal laws pertaining to benefits.
• Supervise the preparation of reports and applications as required by law to be filed with federal and state agencies, such as Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, insurance commissions, and other regulatory agencies.
• Work with broker to analyze referral and utilization patterns, develop benefit information, statistical data and census data for actuaries, insurance carriers and management and provide ad hoc reporting as needed.
• Provide guidance to the People Services department on benefit-related programs and issues.
Required/Requested Skills
• Five years of increasing responsibility managing employee benefit programs, or any appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Strong knowledge of employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability.
• Working knowledge of regulatory guidelines for benefit plans, including Section 125, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA.
• Experience supervising and providing clear direction to direct reports.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.
Education Required/Requested
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or other related field.
Austin, TX - December 16, 2008 - HotSchedules today announced that OSI Restaurant Partners has selected and implemented its Enterprise Edition restaurant workforce management and labor scheduling solution. OSI Restaurant Partners has grown to one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. Operating in 49 states and in 21 countries around the globe, OSI's portfolio of restaurant brands consists of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion� Cuisine, Lee Roy Selmon's, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits.
In only four months, OSI rolled out HotSchedules to nearly 1,200 restaurants serving 110,000 employees with HotSchedules' innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and virtual training program. Each location used a combination of HotSchedules' staff training DVDs and labor management training webinars to educate its managers and employees on the system. For each restaurant concept, the total implementation time was less than four weeks. Additionally, the deployment came in under the projected budget, and the company estimates cost savings, due to greater efficiency and time savings since implementing HotSchedules.
Unlike other labor scheduling systems, HotSchedules' intuitive and familiar interface is built with the end-user in mind, dramatically reducing the training period and providing a scheduling tool that managers feel comfortable using almost immediately. HotSchedules Enterprise Edition interfaces with OSI's point-of-sale (POS) system, so managers can easily compare expected costs with actual expenses and even enforce the schedule to prevent employees from clocking in early. Additionally, Overtime Warning Reports consider actual labor plus upcoming projected hours to notify managers of potential overtime scenarios before they occur.
"Within six weeks of using HotSchedules, our managers had reduced the time it takes them to create schedules by 50 percent," said Jeff Wallett, IT Director, at OSI. "This component alone has led to cost savings in our operations, and our managers are enthusiastic about the ease-of-use and simplicity of using HotSchedules anywhere, anytime."
HotSchedules gives OSI's managers the ability to communicate quickly and easily with employees, at the restaurant or corporate level. This reduces the burden on managers, who previously had to be pulled off the floor to take calls about schedules and requests. Additionally, it provides OSI the ability to easily distribute important messages or surveys to its employees company-wide, whether it's crisis communication (through HotSchedules' Emergency Communications Portal) or sharing discounts from corporate partners.
OSI's decision to take HotSchedules enterprise-wide shows a strong commitment to its employees, and it has quickly become part of the company culture. With HotSchedules, all front-of-house and back-of-house employees have access to on-demand scheduling tools online from their computer, web-enabled phone, or through the HotSchedules toll-free, 24-hour service line. Additionally, both the support center and automated phone system provide a Spanish-speaking option. HotSchedules provides instantaneous communication and confirmation by giving employees the ability to:
Check their schedules from any location and at any time
Request time off
Pick up shifts
Send messages to managers or other employees
Get notified via email and SMS text message when a shift change is picked up by another employee and approved by a manager
Receive SMS text alerts if an employee's schedule is modified during mid-week
"With Generation Y entering the workplace, work-life balance is more important than ever to employees - and HotSchedules' tools provide an excellent level of control and flexibility for our employees to balance their work with their everyday lives," said Blaise Hadley, regional vice president, OSI.
"OSI has earned its spot as one of world's top-tier restaurant companies through their dedication to employees and ongoing technology innovation," said Ray Pawlikowski, president, HotSchedules. "We are proud that HotSchedules has become a part of the company's culture and continued success."
About HotSchedules
HotSchedules, innovators of the most widely-used online restaurant workforce management solutions, sets the industry standard for service, support and labor management expertise. By engaging with its clients as partners, HotSchedules vastly improves management-employee communications, resulting in greater employee satisfaction and retention and offers a fast, proven ROI through reduced manual scheduling and labor costs. From independent restaurants to corporate chains, HotSchedules' suite of solutions empowers restaurant staff and managers with all the tools they need to communicate effectively and efficiently. More than 2,750 restaurants and over 300,000 users rely on HotSchedules every day. HotSchedules complements its product offerings with a world-class, bilingual support staff at the company's headquarters in Austin, Texas.
HotSchedules' corporate and franchise clients include such well-known concepts as Outback Steakhouse, the Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Carino's Italian Grill, Chili's, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming's Steakhouse, Applebee's, Jamba Juice and many others.
Austin, TX (RestaurantNews.com) On Tuesday, March 1, HotSchedules was honored as one of Central Texas’ Healthiest Employers by Seton and the Austin Business Journal. The event and luncheon were hosted by Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and the award was presented by Paul Carrozza, CEO/Owner of RunTex and Chair of the Mayor’s Fitness Council.
The Healthiest Employer awards program recognizes organizations that are committed to creating a healthy workplace. The event’s agenda included a mile and a half walk around Butler Park, which was led by the Mayor, followed by outdoor activities, coaching and practice exercises designed to improve muscle strength and flexibility. The group then adjourned to the Palmer Events Center for lunch and the awards ceremony.
HotSchedules’ specific claim to the award may have come, in part, from their annual HotFit Challenge – an employee competition that consists of cardiovascular, strength-building and weight loss contests. Not only do winners receive great prizes, but also the longer term boost to confidence and overall fitness. HotSchedules also subsidizes a healthy lunch plan and pays a portion of employees’ athletic facility membership fees.
Accepting the award on HotSchedules’ behalf was Director of Marketing, Mary Kay Hyde. “This is quite an honor for HotSchedules. Fitness is a big part of our corporate culture, so encouraging each other to set and reach health and fitness goals comes naturally to most of us. It’s just one of the reasons it’s fun to work here,” Ms. Hyde said.
Benefits Manager - OSI
With minimal supervision, the Benefits Manager is responsible for the management and administration of employee health and welfare benefit plans. This includes design, planning, development, implementation, day-to-day administration and coordination of programs, policies, procedures and communication related to employee health and welfare plans for all levels of company personnel.
Position Details
• Manage the Benefits function including design, benefits administration, coordinating plan changes and oversee third party administrators.
• Develop, implement and maintain cost control programs and processes to maximize coverage with the lowest cost to the organization and employees.
• Direct benefit administration activities and coordinate changes and other department assignments and special projects.
• Manage vendor relationships to ensure that services meet all expectations and are in accordance with policies, contracts, regulatory compliance and cost control objectives.
• Participate in industry and health and wellness surveys, review external competitor data for competitiveness and develop recommendations for updates to plans.
• Schedule and facilitate audits for adherence to regulatory guidelines and company benefit policies.
• Lead roll-out of new plans and plan changes by designing and conducting training sessions and creating announcement materials, booklets, policy manuals and other media for communicating new plans to employees.
• Review and provide input with legal consultation, to plan documents, benefit agreements and insurance policies, and partner with vendors to effect changes.
• Maintain company compliance with all applicable Federal, state and local laws.
• Review and analyze changes to state and federal laws pertaining to benefits.
• Supervise the preparation of reports and applications as required by law to be filed with federal and state agencies, such as Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, insurance commissions, and other regulatory agencies.
• Work with broker to analyze referral and utilization patterns, develop benefit information, statistical data and census data for actuaries, insurance carriers and management and provide ad hoc reporting as needed.
• Provide guidance to the People Services department on benefit-related programs and issues.
Required/Requested Skills
• Five years of increasing responsibility managing employee benefit programs, or any appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Strong knowledge of employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability.
• Working knowledge of regulatory guidelines for benefit plans, including Section 125, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA.
• Experience supervising and providing clear direction to direct reports.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.
Education Required/Requested
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or other related field.