Employee Turnover
Describe the type of hospitality industry and its main categories of employees.
Hospitality industry continues to grow at an extremely alarming rate in the modern society because of the increment in the needs and preferences of the society members. One of the most essential types of the hospitality industries in the modern society is the fast-food restaurant. This type of the hospitality industry focuses on the provision of fast food and minimal essence of application of table service. The consumers serve themselves through the counter and in most cases; the system is effective and automatic to minimize time wasting while queuing for meals by the consumers. The provision of services and products within this industry is limited to specific menu thus carters for the meat-sweet products or dietary system. The meal is usually prepared in advance to minimize congestion while purchasing by the consumers. The fast food restaurants must incorporate and integrate effective components and materials in maintaining the heat of the food. The products in this industry are packed to the orders of the consumers. In most cases, the products are ready for the take away. The consumers have the opportunity to choose between eating at the facilities of the fast food restaurants or take the packed food with them for the home-consumption. The four critical elements for success in relation to the fast-food restaurants include speed, effectiveness/efficiency, location, and branding. Within this industry, there are key players such as KFC and McDonalds offering products and services at large quantities across the globe (O’Connor, 2004).
In the fast food restaurant industry, there are four critical types or categories of employees aiming to meet the needs and objectives of the consumers. One of the essential categories of employees is the executive or management. Managers in the fast-food restaurants have the obligation of ensuring effective and efficient daily management of the operations within the business entity. The main role focuses on the achievement of speed, efficiency, and consistency in addressing the needs and preferences of the consumers. In the management category, there are also accountants handling the financial affairs of the business entity in the context. Another category consists of chefs. These employees are in charge of cooking the food for the satisfaction of the consumer needs and preferences. Depending on the size of the fast-food restaurant, the head of this category is known as the head chef or head cook. These employees perform bulk of the work in relation to the duties of the fast-food restaurant in meeting the needs and requirements of the consumers. The other category consists of servers. These employees facilitate the movement of food from the kitchen to the consumers. The last category of employees in this department consists of miscellaneous employees. These might include cashiers and the individual in charge of delivery upon the order by the consumers (O’Connor, 2004).
Summarize three (3) primary reasons that turnover is so high in this industry.
There are several factors contributing to the increase in the incidence of employee turnover in the hospitality industry especially in the fast-food restaurants. In this section of the research paper, the focus will be on three critical reasons for the high rate of turnover of employees in the fast-food restaurants industry.
Labor Pool
The main source of labor for the hospitality industry in the case of fast-food restaurants consists of untrained employees. It is difficult for the fast-food restaurants to find skilled employees for the execution of the duties towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of the consumers. The skilled employees are also vulnerable as they tend to seek greener pastures thus contributing to the increase in the cases of employees’ turnover. In addition to this fact, most of the employees of the fast-food restaurants are young while others are students thus applying the employment opportunity in this industry as a fall back for the achievement of success in the future. This contributes to the increase in the cases of employees’ turnover in the fast-food restaurant industry (Kusluvan, 2003).
Customer service challenges
The role of the managers of the fast-food restaurants revolves around the thin line between making the employees happy and enhancing the satisfaction of the consumers. Most of the customer issues result in the reporting of employees to the management of the organization within the fast-food industry for inability to satisfy the needs and preferences of the consumers. Management in these situations usually has limited options, but to fire the employee under the influence of the mistake resulting into minimal or lack of satisfaction of the consumers (Kusluvan, 2003).
Working Conditions and Pay rates
Handling the consumers or clients is a massive job in any industry. In the fast-food industry, the work is even harder because of the inclusion of attitudes and preferences in the purchasing process by employees. The need for speed and efficiency is also crucial in this situation. This makes it critical for the employees of the organization to exert maximum pressure in handling the employees. In the majority of the fast-food restaurants or industries, the working conditions are poor. This also includes the concept of low wages and longer working hours thus lack of employees’ satisfaction within the industry. Increase in the implementation of poor, working conditions and low wages drives the employees away from the organizations thus attraction of new employees as replacements (Kusluvan, 2003).
Recommend one (1) method to address each of the three (3) primary reasons that turnover is so high in this industry.
In order to minimize the increase in the level of employees’ turnover in the fast-food restaurant industry in the modern economy, there are measures that must be taken into account by the management of the business entities. In the management of the above three crucial reasons for the increase in the level of employees’ turnover in the fast-food restaurants, it is ideal to adopt and implement three ideal measures for the minimization of the influence of the turnover.
Labor Pool
In addressing the issue of the unskilled labor, the organizations (fast-food restaurants) should focus on developing their training programs for the production of quality and trained employees for the execution of services and duties. This involves starting training facilities and colleges to facilitate the production of the trained employees thus minimization of the concept of untrained workers within the fast-food restaurants in the modern economy.
Customer Service Challenges
In executing the role of making the consumers happy and supporting the employees, the management should be strict and focus on the main subject without incorporation of subjectivity in handling the issue at hand. In most cases, consumers are abusive, but employees suffer in the end for the wrong mistakes. To supplement this effective management, the employees should undergo consumer service training for improved service delivery thus minimization of the challenges facing the employees.
Working Conditions and Pay Rates
In this category, it is essential to adopt and implement incentive programs aiming to motivate employees into maximizing their potentials. This is through increasing the amount of wages, doubling the numbers of employees, and adopting motivational programs like awarding the best performing worker within the institution. This is essential for the minimization of the poor working condition and hours evident in the fast-food restaurants, in the modern society.
Recommend one (1) method to improve job satisfaction in general for this industry
In the fast-food restaurant, it is essential for employees to stay in order to maximize their potentials in product and service delivery to the consumers. This calls for the achievement of job satisfaction in this industry. One of the essential ways of ensuring job satisfaction is the improvement of the working conditions. This is through the application of effective training programs making the employees to gain experience in relation to handling of the consumer issues and challenges. Improvement of working conditions also integrates reduction in the working hours thus enhancing effectiveness and efficiency by the employees in the provision of services to consumers. Motivational aspects are also essence of improved working conditions. Programs ensuring job security should enable employees to stay in their relevant institutions with minimal urge in search of greener pastures. Employees in this area will focus on their jobs with the aim of earning recognition, promotion, and awards through the implementation of motivational concepts or programs. This is essential for the achievement of job security and satisfaction thus maximization of the resources towards the satisfaction of the consumer needs (D’Annunzio-Green et al, 2004).
References
O’Connor, D. E. (2004). The basics of economics. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
D’Annunzio-Green, N., Maxwell, G. A., & Watson, S. (2004). Human resource management: International perspectives in tourism and hospitality. London: Thomson.
Kusluvan, S. (2003). Managing employee attitudes and behaviors in the tourism and hospitality industry. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
