Introduction
Fast-food employees in the United States, many of whom are adults living in or close to poverty, usually earn meager pay, have little benefits, and work in terrible conditions. Establishing and maintaining high industry standards is a difficult task. According to Singh and Bhadoria, the world is increasingly becoming more competitive, and employees are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace (140). There are numerous franchises in the fast-food industry, and there are few small companies that can financially enhance standards. Since most workers are not unionized, the fast-food sector is in desperate need of change.
In many cases, those who work in fast-food restaurants do so as a temporary job while they seek school or another career path. Due to the high turnover rate in the fast-food business, managers and owners in this industry are often looking for methods to encourage their workers. Incentives and other approaches should be used to inspire personnel to achieve better quality job outcomes. This work was written to find problems and offer solutions to improve the quality of fast-food restaurants, mainly increase the motivation of employees and improve their qualifications.
The Problem
In the fast-food industry, salaries are typically a source of contention. The salaries are pitiful and not commensurate with the amount of time put in by employees. It is not always simple to handle students who work part-time while pursuing their studies. Fast-food businesses use a chain-model work structure, where each person has a specific duty to do. As a result, the company’s profitability increases. They say the firm places too much focus on profits at the expense of employee well-being.
Salaries for commercial positions are generally lower than those for other commercial positions. Employees typically have a hard time obtaining raises; thus, the pay might stagnate for several months before being changed. Certain hours of the day might expose employees to unpleasant, demanding, and even threatening clients, especially if they are working in retail. Employees should learn to remain calm in these situations, which may be pretty stressful.
According to the U.S. Bureau of labor statistics, California is one of the top places for fast food restaurant employment, making the problem urgent for the state. However, this does not make the problem local; it will just take a specific state as an example to consider the problem. California may address these issues at the state level and enhance the state’s welfare by upwards of half a million fast-food employees by forming a sectoral committee. A sectoral committee brings together employees, companies, and the general public to offer suggestions for the industry’s minimum pay, safety, schedule stability, and training requirements.
This significant move might pave the way for a new standard-setting model in the fast-food business and throughout the country. Low wages, limited benefits, significant reliance on public assistance programs, and numerous breaches of labor regulations characterize the fast-food business, which is a massive, heavily franchised industry. The current state of the sector necessitates upgrading.
Few months after she started working at a Lincoln restaurant as a cashier in August, Rachael Flores was promoted to general manager when her predecessor quitted. According to Flores, who had worked in restaurants previously — including Burger King — she was accustomed to the setting but was not prepared for the conduct she experienced from higher management. According to Vaughn, “Flores said she experienced months of issues, including short staffing, managerial turnover, and “hectic” work conditions” (2021).
The end of June was the deadline for Flores and many other workers to give their two-week notice to the management. Flores claims that when Flores went into work a five- to seven-person shift on multiple occasions, she found that just two or three individuals were working. It was risky for employees to work in extremely high temperatures without climate control on numerous days.
This situation shows the current problem of working in fast-food restaurants. The giants of the industry have stopped caring about their workers because, in their opinion, the working conditions are acceptable, but people are coming who are trying to change the situation for the better. Many establishments should reconsider their attitude towards workers because this leads to the risk of loss of staff and closure of establishments.
Solutions
Employee motivation improves their performance and dedication in the job. According to Filatova, successful restaurants have a strong workforce that works diligently to provide excellent service (577). Encouraging employees is crucial; fast-food employees are individuals with distinct needs, potentials, beliefs, and aspirations. Job motivation is a result of job satisfaction. As a result, satisfied workers are more likely to feel motivated to work. The research identifies techniques for increasing fast-food employees’ motivation and explores the causes of poor employee motivation. It will also help managers in the fast-food industry improve their employees’ performance.
Employees that are motivated perform better and are more committed at work. It follows, then, that encouraging employees is highly vital. Individual requirements, potentials, values, and aspirations characterize fast-food employees. As a result of work satisfaction, employees are more motivated to do their jobs. As a result, satisfied workers are more likely to feel motivated to do their jobs. A number of techniques are discussed in the research, as well as the reasons for poor employee motivation inside the business. As a result, fast-food managers will be able to improve the performance of their staff.
In order to succeed, people must have personnel with a decent presence as well as an outgoing attitude, a sense of humor, and a high level of professionalism. On a daily level, this commitment is gained and maintained. Having a pleasant working environment and strong relationships with co-workers and the firm will make people feel good about their jobs and the company. Staff should not be overworked in order to achieve this goal. To assist employees in managing their personal and professional life, shift schedules must be developed. Employers must also respect their employees’ job preferences and provide them with a detailed work plan well before the start of the workweek.
Fast food restaurants rely on productivity to survive and thrive; clients want rapid and efficient service but will not accept subpar food quality as an acceptable compromise. According to Dastane and Fazlin, it is undeniably true that customer happiness is one of the essential elements in client retention (379). Under high-stress situations, fast food staff must maintain a high production rate. There is no technique to enhance productivity in a fast food restaurant because productivity is affected by many factors.
A person should experiment with several approaches until they find the one that works best for their group. A good service is becoming increasingly important to customers. General consumer preferences include comfort, friendliness, and an exquisite yet relaxed setting while eating outdoors or in the office. According to Limakrisna and Hapzi, customers become advertising channels for companies when they believe that their expectations have been met in relation to a product or service they have purchased (132). As long as the quality of the products and meals also matches their expectations, they do not mind paying a little bit extra at the end of the dinner.
Efficiency and customer service level must increase, as any mistakes made during a client’s visit might be posted on the internet and damage a business’s reputation. According to Kelvin and Eruteya, managers of restaurants and other food establishments should teach their personnel to cope with economic realities of recession by providing clients with excellent service (1). In addition, restaurants today must not only provide outstanding products and services to diners in the dining room but also to those who have placed online orders with them. Due to the extra burden produced by consumers and technology, it is highly likely that the restaurant will need additional workers.
Depending on client demand, the workforce must always be scaled appropriately. This implies that the firm must always have the necessary number of staff in both the kitchen and the eating area, no more and no fewer. In order to provide excellent service, people must hire proper people. Customers should never be kept waiting because there are not enough employees to handle their orders. According to Forrest, fast-food trust served as a feedback system for fairness and communication methods for corporate executives (4). Naturally, there is a delicate line between being appropriately staffed and overstaffed, leading to higher labor expenses.
Workers’ shifts and timetables must be scheduled far ahead of time so that they may balance their personal and family lives. According to Zheng and Fernando, in order to enhance collaboration, the restaurant should provide staff with a defined purpose and timetable, as well as a strong leader (41).
Furthermore, employees who believe that their employer considers their preferences and requirements as much as possible would be happier in their jobs. As a result, people should keep in mind that evenly dividing the hours among all employees is critical. It must be provided workers with the resources they need to complete their tasks straightforwardly and effectively, which translates to software or solutions that make their daily life simpler. Solutions for inventory management and personnel planning are two examples.
People should ask each member of the crew for their opinions and ideas on how to improve efficiency and productivity. Listen and consider suggestions, including the ones that come to mind, but hear each one out. Teamwork should be encouraged among the workforce. It does not matter if a person is in charge of a large group or a small group. If they want the team’s respect, they should set a positive example. A workforce that appreciates the management is more likely to turn in organizational efficiency. So that they may communicate on a personal level, a person should get to know each member of staff.
Conclusion
U.S. employees working in fast-food restaurants – many of whom are adults who live in or near poverty – typically make a pittance, have few benefits, and labor in squalid conditions. The challenge of establishing and maintaining strong industry standards is one that requires considerable effort. Workers in fast-food businesses often do so as temporary employment while pursuing schooling or another professional path. Management and owners of fast-food restaurants are constantly seeking ways to motivate their employees due to the high turnover rate. Staff should be motivated by incentives and other methods in order to produce higher-quality job outputs.
Motivated employees work harder and are more devoted to their jobs. As a result, motivating staff is essential. Fast-food employees are defined by their own needs, potentials, beliefs, and goals. Employees are more motivated to accomplish their tasks when they are happy at work. As a result, satisfied employees are more likely to be inspired to work. In the study, various strategies are explored and the causes for low employee motivation inside the company. As a consequence, fast-food management will be able to boost their employees’ productivity.
By creating a sectoral committee, California could address these concerns at the state level and benefit upwards of half a million fast-food workers. A sectoral committee brings together employees, corporations, and the general public to make recommendations for the industry’s minimum wage, safety, schedule stability, and training needs. This critical action might pave the way for a new fast-food standard-setting paradigm to emerge across the country.
The industry’s behemoths have ceased caring about their employees because, in their perspective, working conditions are acceptable, but individuals are flocking to attempt to improve the situation. Many businesses should reevaluate their approach toward employees, as this can result in the loss of employees and the collapse of businesses.
Works Cited
Dastane, Omkar, and Intan Fazlin. “Re-investigating key factors of customer satisfaction affecting customer retention for the fast-food industry.” International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics 4.4, 2017: 379-400.
Forrest, James Lloyd. Reducing fast food employee turnover with appealing working environments. Diss. Walden University, 2017: 1-24.
Filatova, A. M. “Human Resource Management in Restaurant Business.” The Modern Mechanism of the Functioning of the Trade Business and the Tourism Industry: Reality and Prospects: Materials III, Minsk, Belarusian State Economic University, 2019: 577–78.
Kelvin, Egberi Agbarha, and Eruteya Ernest Ejiro. “Effective Management During Recession (A Study Of Fast Food Restaurant In Warri, Delta State).” Nigerian Journal of Management Sciences, 6.1, 2017: 1-8.
Limakrisna, Nandan, and Hapzi Ali. “Model of customer satisfaction: Empirical study at fast-food restaurants in bandung.” International Journal of Business and Commerce 5.6, 2016: 132-146.
Singh, Neha., and BMS Bhadoria. “A study of job satisfaction in employees working with fast-food chains in India with special reference to fast food outlets in Bhopal.” European Journal of Business and Management 8.16 (2016): 140-144.
U.S. Bureau of labor statistics. “Employment of cooks, fast food, by state, 2020”. Bls. Division of Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2020.
Vaughn, Hayley. “‘We All Quit’: Burger King staff leaves a note to management on store sign.” Aol.Com, NBC NEWS, 2021. Web.
Zheng, ShuYue, and Maria Socorro CL Fernando. “Strategies to improve employees’ work efficiency in one branch of ABC Thai restaurant: 10.14456/abacodijournal. 2021.13.” ABAC ODI JOURNAL Vision. Action. Outcome, 8.2, 2021: 41-53.