Yum! India Growth Plans Focus on Belief in All People
Yum! India expects to add 15,000 team members by the end of 2015. And Company leaders hope many of them will share a common trait—they will be women.
Chief People Officer Sanchita Singh said the division's plan to grow from 301 to 500 restaurants presented a tremendous opportunity to increase its number of female team members, who currently account for 30 percent of restaurant staff. "We believe that diversity plays a critical role to the long-term success of the business and a diverse workforce makes for a stronger, more open organization," said Singh.
KFC India demonstrates belief in all people through staffing its Darjeeling location with an all female crew. Since its opening, the pilot store has experienced positive customer feedback and low attrition; only one team member has left in six months.
"This all-women run store model has been greatly encouraged, not just by the business success it has achieved and business metrics it has generated, but also by the pride and enthusiasm that the crew has shown in delivering consumer satisfaction," explained Singh.
Singh said Yum! is considering the possibility of replicating the all-female team member model at additional restaurants. This comes at a time that regulatory agencies are evaluating strategies to boost career opportunities for Indian women. The country's Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI), which regulates the securities market, is working to address the disparity of women comprising 40 percent of the total workforce but only seven percent of board-level positions. The SEBI is amending its stock exchange listing agreement to require that listed companies have at least one female board director by Oct. 1, 2014.
"Yum! believes in empowering women right from the restaurant floor," said Singh. "We will continue to focus on building our workforce with a strong agenda of creating positive employment opportunities to build diversity and inclusion."
