Teaching Notes: Retention recipes: motivating young workers at Dodo Pizza Kazakhstan

This case explores managerial challenges faced by Alexey Sozinov, a young human resource (HR) manager working for Konstantin Tarasov’s Dodo Pizza franchise chain in Almaty, Kazakhstan. As the franchise expands rapidly within the competitive quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector, Alexey is confronted with a pressing issue: a high employee turnover in the company, especially among the chain’s young employees, many of whom belong to Generation Z (Gen Z). Despite the brand’s dynamic image and tech-savvy operations, the franchise struggles to retain its youthful workforce, whose expectations revolve around work-life balance, career growth and workplace culture.

Alexey faces a decision point: with...