1

Challenges Faced by Human Resource Management in KFC Company

Name

Course

School

Instructor

Date
 2

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................3
Employee Recruitment and Retention.........................................................................................3
Employee Training.......................................................................................................................4
Employee Engagement................................................................................................................5
Employee Turnover......................................................................................................................6
Employee Career Management....................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
 3

Introduction
The Human Resource Management is significant in order for any company or
organization to succeed business wise. Managing human resources in the fast food industry has
its own unique challenges. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has been quenching hunger
worldwide for over 90 years (KFC, 2023). Although KFC was successful, the HR management
team faced many challenges when dealing with employee issues. Employee management,
especially KFC's HR management team, turned out to be a big problem (Circlebizz, 2021).

KFC's human resource management team ran into some problems while dealing with
employee issues. This article delves into these challenges, focusing on topics such as hiring,
employee retention, employee training and employee engagement, staffing, staff turnover, and
staff management.

Analysis
Employee Recruitment and Retention
The need to find new talent is important to every HR department. However, it presents
additional challenges for the fast food industry. This industry is famous for its highly skilled
workers. The KFC team faced several hurdles when it came to finding potential candidates. This
includes responding to market competition, the influx of demanding job seekers, and the need for
specific information (Burea, 2022).

Future challenges require KFC's HR management team to identify successful ways to

attract diverse job seekers (UOM, 2018). Appropriate strategies may include promoting careers
through social media and online careers, and recently partnering with nearby universities to
attract students and graduates. In addition, HRM can provide benefits such as allowances,
flexible working hours and referrals to employees to attract successful candidates (UOM, 2018).
Another important aspect of

recruitment is the recruitment process. KFC's human resource management team must
ensure that the recruitment process is effective, fair and inclusive.

It includes reviewing job descriptions and qualifications to ensure they are relevant and
not discriminatory. Additionally, the human resource management should conduct a background
check to make sure that employees meet the set standards and fully comply with them.
 4

The human resource of a company should also focus on retention of their employees.
Retention is similarly significant to people management. It saves time and resources, cuts
recruitment costs, and increases work efficiency (Sprockets, 2023). Nevertheless, in the fast food
industry where employee turnover is high, employee rate of retention is low and this applies to
the KFC franchise. This poses a major challenge for KFC's HR team.

To address this challenge, KFC's HRM team must develop effective retention strategies
prioritizing employee engagement, development, and satisfaction. It can include providing
ongoing training and development opportunities to help employees grow and advance within the
company (Sprockets, 2023). Additionally, HRM can implement employee recognition programs
that reward and recognize outstanding employee performance and contributions.

Another critical aspect of employee retention is workplace culture (Gilbert, 2022). KFC's
HRM team must ensure the workplace culture is positive, inclusive, and supportive. It includes
creating a work environment that encourages open communication, collaboration, and feedback.
Finally, HRM can provide opportunities for employees to participate in company events and
activities that promote team-building and socialization.

Employee Training
Ensuring consistency in the quality of training poses a major challenge for KFC, even
though it has an extensive employee training program (Dynamic, 2019). KFC's global presence
across diverse countries and cultures makes it difficult to maintain uniform training across all
locations and regions. Incorporating evolving technologies and trends poses another hurdle for
KFC. The fast-food chain has a responsibility to revamp its training regimen to keep pace with
industry novelties and software updates (Maze, 2018). This endowment demands exhaustive
investigation and substantial financial backing, thus being both time-consuming and costly.

KFC can enhance its employee training program to meet these challenges by integrating
modern technology and online training resources (Maze, 2018). Online training is more cost-
effective and flexible because employees can easily access training materials. KFC can also use
mobile apps and interactive platforms to make training more engaging and interactive for
employees. In addition, KFC may partner with local schools and universities to offer specialized
training programs that align with the company's standards and values. It helps KFC recruit and
retain high-quality employees who understand the fast food industry.
 5

Employee training is critical to the success of KFC. While the company has a comprehensive
training program, it faces challenges ensuring consistency and keeping up with changing
technologies and trends. By leveraging modern technology and partnering with local schools and
universities, KFC can improve its employee training program and develop a highly skilled
workforce to drive organizational performance and achieve business goals (Maze, 2018).

Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is a crucial aspect of human resource management for any
company, including KFC. It refers to the level of commitment and motivation that employees
have towards their work and their organization. Engaged employees are more productive, have
higher job satisfaction, and are likelier to stay with the company. However, KFC faces several
challenges when it comes to employee engagement (Dynamic, 2019). One of the major
challenges that KFC faces in employee engagement is the high turnover rate in the fast-food
industry. Fast-food jobs are often seen as temporary and low-skilled, leading to high turnover
rates. Employees may not feel invested in the organization or company because of the high
turnover that potentially reduces employee engagement (HRMARS, 2018).

Individual perception of the industry is yet another issue that may not attract as much to
younger generation. Low wages, long hours, and repetitive tasks is the norm of the fast food
restaurant jobs. Such a perception might make it challenging to attract and retain motivated
young employees. Provision of employees with career development opportunities happens to be
another challenge that the KFC franchise is facing. Employees who lack a clear career path are
discouraged to stay with the company or invest in their work (Dynamic, 2019).

Kentucky Fried Chicken can take many measures or solutions to address these matters
and at the same time increase employee engagement. One among the many solution is to offer a
competitive package that includes health insurance, paid leave and retirement plans. It can help
attract and retain good employees who are motivated to stay with the company (Shrm, 2022).

The other solution is to avail career development opportunities to employees. KFC can
provide training, coaching and career opportunities to help employees learn new skills and
advance in their careers. This method can can create a sense of investment and motivation for
employees, subsequently increasing their commitment to work (How now, 2022).
 6

Kentucky Fried Chicken human resource management can also engage workers by
ensuring a good working environment. This may include encouraging a sense of community and
teamwork among employees, recognizing and rewarding work well done, and promoting work-
life balance (How now, 2022). These efforts can create a positive workplace culture that
encourages employee engagement and retention.

Employee Turnover
Employee turnover is a challenge for Kentucky Fried Chicken's human resource
management. Cost increases with increase in productivity, thus, high cost means high
productivity. On the other hand, reduction in productivity leads to reduction in employee
engagement. One of the biggest challenges KFC faces with employee turnover is the perception
that fast-paced jobs are ephemeral and capable. Numerous workers may view their job at KFC as
a stepping stone to other jobs, or may not see long-term career advancement. This kind of
perception can result to lack of capital in the business, reduced motivation and ultimately high
turnover (Dwesini, 2019).

Competitiveness of the fast food industry happens to be another challenge faced by the
human resource management (Dynamic, 2019). Kentucky Fried Chicken contends with other fast
food restaurants for employees, and workers can be effortlessly missed by the higher wages or
benefits offered by other companies. This can lead to increased costs related to hiring and
training new workers.

Kentucky Fried Chicken can use many solutions to solve these problems to increase
employee turnover rate. Among the solutions is to offer competitive compensation packages that
include benefits such as health insurance, paid leave and retirement plans. It can make KFC an
attractive place to work and reduce work (Kurniawaty et al., 2019).

Provision of career advancement and chances for career advancement happens to be

another solution for this issue. Kentucky Fried Chicken can offer training courses, on-the-job
training and training to help employees acquire new skills and advance in their careers. It can
create a sense of investing in the company and encourage employees to stay at KFC (Dynamic,
2019).
 7

KFC can also increase the number of employees by creating a good working
environment. It can include recognizing and rewarding good work, promoting work-life balance,
and creating a sense of community and teamwork among employees. A positive work
environment can help employees feel valued and connected to the company, which can increase
profits.

Employee Career Management

For human resource management of any company, employee management is significant
to people management and Kentucky Fried Chicken HR is facing numerous issues in this
respect. Through career management, employees are able to nature their skills and craft, advance
their careers and attain their career goals. The core problem that Kentucky Fried Chicken faces in
employee management is the understanding that fast-paced jobs are for talented people and not a
way to develop a career. This kind of feeling can easily lead to employee shortage of resources in
the company and reduced motivation to improve their work at KFC (Iis et al., 2022). Also, the
fast-paced nature of the fast food industry makes it difficult to provide opportunities for growth
and prosperity.

The other challenge is lack of leadership and management in the company. As KFC runs
many businesses, opportunities for employees to progress to higher management levels may be
limited (Iis et al., 2022). While employees seek career advancement elsewhere, it may not lead to
any career advancement opportunities and turnover.

KFC can use various solutions to solve these problems to improve employee
management. One solution is to provide training and development programs to help employees
acquire new skills and advance in their careers. Leadership development may include job
shadowing and training. KFC can maintain employee engagement and motivation by providing
opportunities to develop skills (What Now, 2022).

Another solution is to provide ways to improve things in companies (Iis et al., 2022).
KFC can explore creating a new culture and managing business units and business units by
providing professional development to employees. It can create a sense of investment in the
company and motivate employees to stay at KFC. KFC can also solve employee management
problems by providing regular advice and appreciation to employees. Regular performance
feedback can help employees identify areas for improvement and set goals to improve company
 8

performance. In addition, appreciating and rewarding good work can create a sense of
investment in the company and motivate employees to reach their career goals (Iis et al., 2022).

Conclusion
To conclude, Kentucky Fried Chicken's human resource management team faced major
challenges in recruiting, retaining and recruiting employees. To counter these challenges, the
organizations must prioritize a good HRM strategy that focuses on employee engagement,
development and satisfaction. By investing in its employees and creating a positive and
supportive work environment, KFC can increase employee retention, reduce hiring costs and
improve company performance.

Furthermore, employee training is crucial to KFC's success, and the company should use
modern technology and cooperate with local schools and university to improve its training and
develop skilled workers. KFC also needs to address employee turnover, performance
management and understanding business challenges to attract and retain talented employees. By
providing competitive packages, professional development and a positive work environment,
KFC can create a culture that supports employee engagement, motivation and high performance.
 9

References
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Labor force statistics from the current population survey.
Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/

Case study - KFC (2023) Sprockets. Available at: https://sprockets.ai/case-study-kfc-employee-

retention/ (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

Circlebizz (2021) HRM policy of KFC, CIRCLE OF BUSINESS. Available at:

https://circlebizz.com/hrm/human-resource-management-policy-kfc/ (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

Dwesini, N. F. (2019). Causes and prevention of high employee turnover within the hospitality
industry: A literature review. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 8(3),
1-15. https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_38_vol_8_3__2019.pdf

Factors influencing turnover intention among fast food ... - HRMARS (2018) Human Resource
Management Academic Research Society. hrmars. Available at:
https://hrmars.com/papers_submitted/5225/Factors_Influencing_Turnover_Intention_amon
g_Fast_Food_Restaurant_Managers.pdf (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

Gilbert, M. (2022) Workplace culture and how it affects employee retention, INC Magazine.
Available at: https://www.inc.com/mandy-gilbert/workplace-culture-how-it-affects-
employee-retention.html (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

KFC: World Famous Fried Chicken. KFC.com. (2023). Retrieved April 28, 2023, from
https://www.kfc.com/about

Kurniawaty, K., Ramly, M., & Ramlawati, R. (2019). The effect of work environment, stress,
and job satisfaction on employee turnover intention. Management science letters, 9(6),
877-886. http://growingscience.com/beta/msl/3122-the-effect-of-work-environment-
stress-and-job-satisfaction-on-employee-turnover-intention.html
Iis, E. Y., Wahyuddin, W., Thoyib, A., Ilham, R. N., & Sinta, I. (2022). The Effect of Career
Development And Work Environment On Employee Performance With Work Motivation
As Intervening Variable At The Office Of Agriculture And Livestock In
Aceh. International Journal of Economic, Business, Accounting, Agriculture
Management and Sharia Administration (IJEBAS), 2(2), 227-236.
http://radjapublika.com/index.php/IJEBAS/article/view/191
 10

Maze, J. (2018) KFC pushing new technology for its workers, Restaurant Business. Restaurant
Business. Available at: https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/kfc-pushing-new-
technology-its-workers (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

Shrm (2022) SHRM state of the Workplace Report 2021-2022, SHRM. SHRM. Available at:
https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Pages/SHRM-
State-of-the-Workplace-Report-.aspx (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

The impact of KFC’s human resource practices on the KFC employee’s ... (2019) dynamic
publisher. www.dynamicpublisher.org. Available at:
http://www.dynamicpublisher.org/gallery/6-ijsrr-d-2426-f.pdf (Accessed: April 28, 2023).

UOM (2016) 4.3 recruitment strategies, Human Resource Management. University of Minnesota
Libraries Publishing edition, 2018. This edition adapted from a work originally produced
in 2011 by a publisher who has requested that it not receive attribution. Available at:
https://open.lib.umn.edu/humanresourcemanagement/chapter/4-3-recruitment-strategies/
(Accessed: April 28, 2023).

Upskilling employees: Everything Company should know (2022) HowNow. Available at:
https://gethownow.com/upskilling-employee/ (Accessed: April 29, 2023).
 11

Appendix

KFC Restaurant in Bucharest

KFC Restaurant Constanta