Introduction
Employee motivation is essential for any company aspiring to grow. Offering training and development opportunities to workers enables employers to identify the knowledge and skills they wish to instill into their employees. Workers become more equipped in task management and understand the significance of working in teams. Providing opportunities for skill development and employee training is a form of motivation. They are more likely to perform tasks efficiently within the set deadlines. This, in turn, translates to the profitability of an organization. Employee productivity is greatly enhanced by training and development programs. Human Resource managers should discover the training programs that will suit the specific job requirements in a firm. This paper will provide a training proposal for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for various categories of employees.
KFC History and Background
KFC is among the largest fast-food operator, developers, and suppliers globally. It is an American corporation that has entered the multinational level. Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.) holds and runs KFC, a multinational fast-food chain with a great record of success and modernization. Kentucky Fried Chicken was started in Corbin, Kentucky, by Harland Sanders. Sanders was raised in Henryville, Indiana, on a small family farm. Sanders’ mum worked two jobs after his dad passed away in 1896 to help maintain the family. By the age of six, Sanders had learned to cook for his younger siblings. In over 25,000 restaurants in more than 145 countries and territories throughout the world, his formula for success is still being admired and copied, with real chefs making and preparing the delicious chicken by hand (KFC Corporation 2021).
KFC is a multinational company with many employees in different sectors such as accountants, cooks, waitresses, security guards, and delivery employees. Therefore, constant employee training is a crucial form of motivation for the company, enabling skill development will improve the overall production and the quality of the chicken. KFC is widely known for the crispy chicken accompanied with special fries. Employees joining the corporation must be trained on how to make the meals using KFC’s secret recipe and ingredients. Similarly, waitresses should be trained to enhance their communication skills, especially with the customer. Poor communication with the customer could lead to company collapse since customers want to eat at a place where they are being appreciated. All members of staff need some degree of training to improve the skills of their job. Home delivery employees must also be educated on the significance of good customer relations, which translates to increased customer loyalty. They should be educated on maintaining the right mindset even when they face difficult customers. This training could be held virtually or face-to-face, employing workshops regularly.
Additionally, the home delivery workers should learn software training to enable them to visit and use the software easily. Technology is advancing, increasing the need for the employees to understand how technology is used. This can contribute to reducing delivery times or confusion. They should be trained in how to have an attitude of a professional courier. Both new and older employees should be trained to minimize mistakes in running the company’s operations.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis is a structure employed to evaluate a business’ competitive position in the market and help it generate a strategic plan. The framework is designed to enhance a practical, reasonable, and fact-based evaluation of the internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) of an organization, and its external environment (opportunities and threats). Any organization should maintain an accurate analysis by eliminating pre-conceived attitudes instead of stressing the actual life events. SWOT should be used as a guide to enable a firm to grow and acquire a competitive advantage in the market.
KFC SWOT Analysis.
Budget
The training and skill development program will target every KFC employee in its different chains. KFC needs to broaden its products, and that would require well-equipped employees who can join the effort and create an innovative product. The budget should be calculated separately in every KFC restaurant to minimize confusion and enhance planning. Understanding employee needs in various departments can help a human resource manager to plan suitable employee training programs. There should be different training days for different categories of employees.
The budget should cover the original communication regarding the training and skill development program, where and how the training will take place, for example, physical or virtual. The budget should include the meeting place and all the costs that will be incurred during training in case of a physical meeting. For virtual meeting training, online platforms that can accommodate a specific number of employees being trained should be covered. Trainers’ fees, training materials, accommodation, and refreshments, should be excluded from the budget. The overall cost of training will depend on various factors, such as the number of trainees, the types of meetings, and the training materials required. Therefore, it is difficult to draft a budget for a specific KFC restaurant.
Outcomes for training
Enhancing employee skills and knowledge to undertake given duties has advantages for employees and the organization. Employee training is aimed at preparing them to handle the different and challenging consumer needs and job requirements. At the end of the training program, employees should be able to undertake their roles effectively with minimum supervision since they will have a good comprehension of what to do, how, and when to do it. They are expected to portray increased performance by optimizing the available resources, including the raw materials, production tools, and delivery equipment provided.
Generally, training enables workers to best utilize the provided resources while increasing productivity. Trained employees will reduce the stage of resources while performing effectively and efficiently. Since KFC operates and franchises chicken and fries restaurants, workers must be able to prepare similar tasking chicken and fries in all its branches. Training will ensure that the new entrants understand recipes and the services provided by the corporation.
Moreover, there will be proficient and skillful managers since the employees will be prepared to undertake intricate roles and other high-level responsibilities. The main weakness surrounding the internal environment of KFC is increased employee turnover. The reason might not be so clear, but it could be attributed to decreased employee motivation due to lack of training. Therefore, decreased absenteeism and increased employee retention are among the outcomes of training. Trained workers will be more innovative and contribute to adding a new KFC product to the market since this is listed as a main opportunity for the global company. There will be an improvement in the quality of products provided, and increased output. The increased competition from local and other multination fast-food providers necessitates the need for employee training. Thus, at the end of the training, the company should be able to deal with the stiff competition in the market effectively.
Training Outline, Delivery, and Considerations
Description of Training and Objectives
The first step in the training program will include pinpointing the training needs. Employees at different departments have differing training needs, which must be fulfilled. For instance, those in the accounting department require financial management type of training while those working as chefs need training related to increasing food production and quality. Preparing the instructor is the second step in the training program. The company should select the best trainers for different training needs. The trainer should be informed earlier to enable them to prepare efficiently for the program. Additionally, the trainees must be prepared to help them understand the need for the skill development program.
Delivery Method
Effective delivery of knowledge and education will require vivid explaining and demonstrating the operation.
Lesson Objectives
It is aimed at equipping new employees with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to perform their duties and job. Another goal for training is to coach workers and prepare them for more intricate and higher-level tasks. Lastly, it is aimed at educating workers on advanced and innovative methods and techniques to perform their roles efficiently. A successful training program must fulfill the above-mentioned objectives.
Timeline
The trainer should be able to describe concepts in a logical manner and demonstrate where need be within a month of training.
Evaluation and Follow-up
Lastly, employees should be asked for feedback and their performance evaluated after the training sessions. The evaluation of the employees would be conducted through annual tests involving the work they indulge in. Refresher courses are also beneficial and would be vital in ensuring employees remember the content of their training and apply it in their work.
Stakeholders and Target Audience
Customers will benefit from better services from the company. This will increase their satisfaction with the services of the company, increasing the possibility of referrals from the loyal customers. The improved services are also likely to increase return customers to the company who increase their purchases. The customers are likely to spend more within the premises of the business, increasing revenue. Clients are likely to cause increased brand visibility by associating the business with well-trained workers, hence free marketing services for the company.
Employees are the biggest earners from the training program due to the increased skill set they are bound to acquire. This is a source of great pride and satisfaction for them, increasing their competence in their various positions. The training program is also bound to increase loyalty to the company by the workers, enabling them to tie their long-term future to the establishment. This reduces loss of experienced employees to rivals hence minimal interruptions in job flow and operations within the workplace. The workers are also likely to achieve upward mobility as the increased skills increases their ability to perform their jobs more competently.
The management of the company and owners are also likely to achieve enhanced profitability. These are caused by the increased sales to the satisfied customers. The training also eliminates flaws in the work process that results in losses for most firms. Reduced losses increases the possibility of expansive company operations through the opening of new outlets. The overall growth of the company is bound to ensure that the management offers better pay to the workforce. Better pay gives the company a competitive advantage over their competitors, enabling them to acquire the finest talents in the market.
Return on Investment
Return on investment is a technique used to measure performance by evaluating the profitability of an investment. ROI will be calculated by subtracting the cost of investment from the current value of the investment and dividing the answer by the cost of investment. The increase in productivity and efficiency of production must translate into a good ROI. Investment in the training program will provide a net positive, thus, it will be worthwhile.
Conclusion
SWOT analysis enables a corporation to evaluate its internal and external environment. The analysis revealed that KFC has a weakness related to increased employee turnover and a threat due to competition from other fast-food providers. It also has a major opportunity in broadening its products line. Therefore, employee training and skill development could help solve the company’s challenges while increasing productivity. Employees will have more opportunities to grow and develop their skills; thus, increasing their retention.
References
KFC Corporation (2021). KFC Corporation – Company profile, information, business description, history, background information on KFC Corporation. Reference For Business – Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. Web.