Discussion Post Response

Greetings Class,

I chose the Food Industry for my discussion this week.  Below are my answers to the questions.

· What industry did you select? Food Industry

· What are some ideas on how to improve the effectiveness of using employee incentives in the workplace? Offer cash rewards for attendance, customer service, motivation.  I would also offer 50% employee discount on food; flexible PTO were the employee can accumulate days into a bank and uses them at their convenience without logging which type of leave. I would incorporate awards programs where there is an employee of the quarter who gets an award, picture displayed in front of the store and designated parking for a quarter.

· What are the challenges of offering incentives in your selected industry? The food industry itself has many challenges in retaining employees as it is easy to hire but hard to retain.  This industry is so big and constantly growing that it is easy for an employee to just get upset for whatever reason and quit as finding another food/restaurant job doesn’t take too much time nor effort.  Keeping employees loyal and motivated is extremely important but challenging.  Not only are employees within this industry responsible to deliver quality food but also quality customer service as the customer is always right. Another challenge according to an industry SWOT analysis by IBIS world indicated that changes in buyer assumption significantly affect household consumption on optional things, including restaurant dining. During a recession, customer demand for lower-priced value from restaurants rises. The Consumer Confidence Index is relied upon to decline in 2019, posing as a threat to industry execution (IBISWorld, 2019).  As indicated by the National Restaurant Association, restaurant compensation ranges from $8 an hour for dishwashers to around $20 for bartenders. However, a chef can make about $12 an hour, while servers get around $16 (voix.ai, 2018). Restaurant workers are often needed to work when others are on holiday/vacation, they work shift hours sometimes 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day which can be exhausting and physically draining.

· What are your recommendations on how to overcome those challenges? Some recommendations to overcome challenges is to be sensitive to changes in customer spending understanding that industry growth has a lot to do with it.   Other recommendations would be to invest time in the recruiting and the hiring process.  The employer should conduct a thorough job analysis and ensure job descriptions and requirements are clear and concise.  Then I’d ensure there is a quality training program in place to ensure the employee is trained accurately and can execute their duties as expected.  Finally, I would invest in the employees by creating incentives as stated in question 3 to keep employees motivated. I would offer benefit packages that interest them and create an environment where we work hard and play hard. Focus on building an atmosphere around teamwork, diversity and inclusion.  A place where employees feel like part of the team and understand the mission and vision of the company to create an ambiance of loyal employees and customers.

Lilly

References

IBISWorld. (2019, July). Fast Food Restaurants Industry in the US - Market Research Report. Retrieved from IBISWorld: https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/fast-food-restaurants-industry/

voix.ai. (2018, Aug 09). Staffing Challenges in the Restaurant Industry. Retrieved from Medium corporation: https://medium.com/@voixai/staffing-challenges-in-the-restaurant-industry-19b01084108b