Ensuring Adequate Employee Morale in the Fast

¶ … Ensuring Adequate Employee Morale in the Fast Food Industry

During the last decade, customer service and employee morale as perceived by the public has steadily declined, most notably within frequented industries such as the fast food industry. The success of corporations is contingent upon their ability to reform and develop more potent employee morale strategies.

Though a variety of customer service strategies exist, none have specifically analyzed key customer service factors related specifically to the fast food industry and franchisees, who are particularly, challenged addressing these issues.

The problem I would like to solve is the low morale and high employee turn over witnessed in local fast food restaurants franchisees such as Subway and McDonalds, which results in poor customer service and lost profits resulting from customer complaints and returns. Low employee morale is extraordinarily significant; it results in decreased productivity and poor customer service. In an era where competition within the fast food industry is fierce, franchisees stand to lose a great deal of business from customers who are turned off by poor employee performance. These customers also typically spread the word about their poor experiences, and often seek to gain from their experience, whether by acquiring free food coupons or by telling everyone they know about their experience to avoid repeat occurrences. Such "bad press" is likely to result in poor future attendance and repeat business.

Problem

The purpose of this study is to examine the causes for low employee morale in two popular fast food franchisees, and reasons for high turnover. Additionally, this study intends to assess what methods franchisees and owners may adopt to improve morale and subsequently affect customer service. I chose this problem based on numerous poor customer service experiences at various fast food chains including McDonalds and Subway; on each occasion I wrote a letter or called the manager and subsequently received "free food coupons." This did not solve the problem however, as I frequent the same locations repeatedly and consistently notice new staff, none of which appear motivated or offer particularly enthused customer service.

My audience will benefit as a majority of consumers frequent such establishments on a regular basis. The frustration that arises from poor customer service management is often extremely high. By evaluating the underlying causes and proposing solutions, I propose that better customer service will be received, but also employees will better enjoy the prospect of working in the environment described. I intend to personally interview the managers of the mentioned establishments, and also review business journals that are particular to the industry, including the following: Market Research Plus, Datamonitor and Reuters Business Insight.