[Reader-list] fast food work

[Khalid]

Syed Khalid Jamal.
M.A(F)Mass Communication,MCRC,JAMIA.

Work culture in fast food chains.

Sarai Independent Fellowship 2004-05,CSDS.

Introduction

To do my research I have decided to adopt Participatory observation as the research methodology because I found, in my preliminary research that the employees of fast food chains(about whom the research is all about) feel nervous and apprehensive while talking about their jobs and their work culture. At times it seems to me as if they are sceptic about me being a spy from other competitor outlet. Hence they either exaggerated or concealed a lot of facts about their life and job.

I t was difficult to strike an informal conversation with them for two reasons. One, their apprehensions and second their hectic schedule.
I therefore decided to be a part of them and do my work while being one of their co-workers.

So I began with applying for a job of Crew member in Pizza hut noida. As a recruitment process I took a written test (a copy of which I am carrying) followed by an interview. My decided salary was Rs.3100 pm, for a probation period of six months. My shift timings: 11am to 8 pm. Six days a week.

I worked for 11 days and following are my findings and observations.

There are basically four departments with their sub departments where employee 
1.	1.Kitchen : It is further divided into three sections:
Make table, cut table and Pasta station.

2. Service: It has order taking, serving and table –cleaning.

 3. Cash

4. Delivery: This has order taking through phone –ins and delivery.

Every employee passes through each of the department to understand its demand and needs. There is no fixed time or duration for each department. Its varies from individual to individuals. But my observation is that people who are fluent in English and have acquired the craft of ‘smiling’ are anchored to servicing as they interact with the customers and people who are efficient in kitchen, which is considered to be the toughest, remain in kitchen for several months. All this decided by the shift manager.

To be eligible for a promotion one has to successfully clear all the four ‘stations’ and acquire a CHAMPS card. CHAMPS stands for:
C-Cleanliness
H-Hospitality
A-Accuracy
M-Maintenance
P-Product quality
S-Speed of service.

CHAMPS batch is given by inspectors who visit the outlet twice a month. They come as a customer and place their order and keenly monitor the working of all the sections and makes notes, while keeping the employee completely unaware of their evaluation.
Employees are subsequently informed about their appraisals by the corporate office in a week’s time. Employees are also given EXPERT batch for the sub-sections.
 Pizza hut also maintains a CSL-Champs Standard Library.
This quality monitoring is done by a firm called TRICONS.
  
The starting salary is Rs. 2915 gross .There are ESI and PF deductions. The net comes out to be 2719 which is credited in the corporate SB account of the employee opened by the bank. Salaries are often delayed.

Before an employee starts his job, he under goes two days of training which is basically a series of lectures on food industry and customer service, no hands –on  of what they actually do in the outlet.

Employees have mixed educational qualifications, from tenth standard pass to post graduation. Most of them however are graduating from various distance education programs.

This mixed lot of employees demonstrates various motivations for their work. Some are only working for extra money, while others want to carve out a career for them in this industry. There are others who want to learn the craft and carry on with their family food business.

There are two kinds of workers. Part timers and full timers. Part timers work for 4 hrs a day whereas full timers work for 9 hrs. These are the official timing. Part timers are paid extra for extra hours of workings but full timers have no such privilege.
All employees are paid monthly. Part timers get Rs.17.50 per hour(gross Rs.22 per hour)

Employees consider their salary below expectations. A full timer on an avg., expects at least Rs 7500 pm whereas his part timer counterpart expects Rs.50 per hour plus transportation.

There is utter dissatisfaction amongst the employee for their job yet they are forced to do these jobs because they are unable to any other.

Lot of these employees try and often get jobs in call center industry or in DSRs. Those who are unable to get any, stay back for whatever they are offered.But despite this, on an average the turnover ratio in fast food chains is 40% to 50%.

Outlets such as barista and café coffee day are little strict in recruitment policies. They prefer candidates who are graduates and have some experience in food industry. They want their employees to stay and grow and hence clearly demarcate job responsibilities to avoid overburden. 

I have found the maximum number of Hotel management graduates in these two coffee chains who intend to stay and work for long term basis. 

I have also observed that due their long and hectic hours of working these young employees of fast food chains develop relationships with other working groups who have similar working hours. Some of them being the bouncers: guards who are employed by bar and pub owners. It is only due to the working hours that these two groups come in contact with each other. They share their life with each other. They often share each others personal problems while sharing food after their respective shifts. But despite all this they remain very distinct in their behavior and attitude as they; from several other angles they are very different from each other.

Official Fiction


9 hrs. shift

Employees are often called two hrs. before the shift and stay back for another 2-3 hrs. after their shift is finished. Hence 9 hrs shift is usually a 13 hrs. shift i.e. everyday a full timer works for 4-5 ”unpaid ” hrs.


Daily reading time

For growth it is important to read and understand the industry, it is said there is a provision of library but employees are rarely given time to avail this provision.
 

30 minutes break with every shift

There is no fixed time for breaks. Very often employees work at a stretch for 12 hrs. without taking meals.
Job provides friendly and warm atmosphere to work

During shift employees are not allowed to talk to each other even if there isn’t any customer, nor are they allowed to sit


Job provide opportunity to grow and develop oneself

There is no clear cut yardstick for promotion or increments. It all depends on manager’s
personal bias.


Employee enhance their communication skills and their overall personality

Managers are often very abusive in their language and indifferent in attitude. They don’t welcome employees grievances.


On the job training
There is no such thing!! Employees are just “told” few things before they start their work. But practically they learn while actually working and often pay for their initial mistakes.


Weekly offs 
Employees are rarely given any offs. “For growth, you must learn to wear this “no-off-attitude wardrobe”” they are told. And how about emergencies?  Manager’s only belief 

is : Today’s emergency is tomorrow’s everyday. Their virtual office aim is 
.. Let there be no excuse for not working.


Work more, earn more
 
True, indeed!!  But only for part timers. For full timers this does’nt apply.

Managerial Seduction

The sole attempt of the managers of seduction is to convince the employees, to make them believe and instill in them that:

Work is meant to make their life easier,

Work is meant to make their world a better place,
Technological research is geared to reduce work,

Money makes social interaction simpler,

It is sin to live without working for a living.

The wages they get is equal to their contribution of production,

The government, management and leaders are there for their benefits.

Employee says



We are seduced to surrender our voice.


We are seduced to internalize and desire discipline and authority.


We are seduced to believe that if customer is satisfied we shall be happy.


We are seduced to forget our world, our freedom and our dreams.

And engage ourselves in the given “present” work.

Eradication of Idle Chatter and Installation of ‘Smile’


Yogi, Tarun, Naushad, Amit and Shammim were all very talkative in school, at home and even at public places, like in a bus, train and in social get-together.
During their work shifts they are not allowed to talk to their colleagues. “Talk only to customers or keep quiet” they are told. “If there isn’t any customer then hang around in the restaurant and get the ‘hang’ of the place. But don’t talk 
.. just don’t”.

“Ever since we have come here we have become good listeners or shall I say forced listeners”, says Yogi.

“Whenever we talk more, even if it is after work, we soon realize it  and feel as if we are committing a sin”, says Tarun, a Sc. Graduate.

On top of this they always have to wear smile on their faces.


Smile while taking orders, doesn’t matter if it is the 10th hr of your shift.

Smile while serving the customer, doesn’t matter if you haven’t had your first meal of the day yet!

Smile and this time, Smile Big and say Thank You as the customer is leaving, doesn’t matter if you have just been told that you aren’t going home today. You are on double shift.

“SMILE
!!! like some software is installed in us, as if we were some kind of machine”
says Amit, BCA (Ist year ignou)

Work-overloaded


Work intensity and time pressure is creating some kind of a hurry-sickness disease. Free time is now a distant dream. They all want to sleep. And sleep at home not in the outlets. 
Sleep on beds and mattresses and not on chairs and tables.
Some of the employees were used to be regular newspaper readers and movie goers. Now, whatever time they get, they sleep and when they get up 
 its time for the next shift.

I wonder if one of them were a poet, what would he write in his poem



I hear the whistle
I must hurry

I hear 5 minute whistle
It is time

I take my work
I change my clothes

To get ready to work
I change my clothes again just before work

For I must look professionally agile in my ‘work-uniform’
I work
I work and I work

Until the king customer leaves,
And when he leaves, I leave my work too


but before I leave

I leave my workplace clean and nice

Because I have it in me

Because I have it in me

Because I have it in me
The attitude!

In a ‘fix’

For all the employees


Arrival time is fixed!
Departure isn’t!!

Customers complimentary are fixed!
Employee’s isn’t!!

Work-shift is fixed!
Breaks aren’t!!

Salaries are fixed!
Increments & promotions aren’t!!

The only motto seems is:
“Squeeze the maximum out of these guys who are in their prime age of potential.”  




Long live the customer


Unserved customer is assumed to be the only emergency for the employees. There cannot be anything more important and more urgent than this. The whole system is geared to deal with this ‘do or die’ situations. It needs exemplary punishment to instill fear among employees. No off’s, no festivals, no health problems and no family issues
. these are the basic managerial assumption to extract and exploit the maximum out of the young employees. The only mantra to survive is to satisfy the customer (read God).His occasional abuses have to be borne professionally and not personally(Remember ATTITUDE!!).

Manager doesn’t want to face the customer until there is an emergency.

On being late manager’s threat to sack is a usual thing.

W M D’s !!
(With. Minute. Details.)


Here everything is standardized 


>From vegetable cutting to  serving every possible parameter is standard. Following are some of examples:

 
VEGETABLE	STD. SIZE
Onions	8 x 24 cm
Tomato	12 x 12 cm
Capsicum	8 x 24 cm
Mushroom	3 mm

Cups, quality rings, spoodles and rocker knife are to be strictly used to maintain standards.


Delivery –time.

Pizza	17 ½ min.
Garlic bread	9min.
Beverage	3-min.
 

Cooking Standards

Pizza height after baking	15- 25 cm.
Saucing	1\2 inch.
Colour	Golden Brown

Eventually the Pizza should be 

“Crispy from outside and fluppy from inside”.


Customers are to be informed in case of any delays or a complementary (it could be another Pizza, a cup of coffee or an overall discount) is provided.

Any food item with deviation from the standard size will be thrown out.

Separate topping cups are used for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.

Chemicals called ‘Suma Tap’ is used to sanitize raw food items such as fruits and vegetables, whereas ‘Suma Bag’ is used to clean any food-contact area.

Kitchen workers are required to wash their hands every 30 minutes.

All utensils are to be washed every ½ hr or after 30 Pizza, whichever is earlier.

A document called MRD(Make, Ready, Discard) is attached with every order and is adhered to strictly.

15 kg of vegetables are cut everyday.

Cut-vegetables if not consumed with in 24 hrs will be thrown out.

They are kept in ‘Walk-in Freeze’ between 1 and 5°C.

Deep freeze is used for chickens between 16 and 25°C. 

Following are some of my observations and narritives:


I
22 June,2004.
Barista.New Friends Colony.

Tuesday.9:40am

20 years old Arun is cleaning the floor.That’s his job.He’s from Patna.Lives in Bharat nagar,okhla.One-room-rented-flat.His elder brother,a motor mechanic,is his whole family.Parents expired 3 years ago.

Barista has just opened.TV is on.V channel.Coffee machine noise is in the air.
Arun is dressed in navy blue shirt and same coloured trousers and a cap.He is using ‘Colin’ brand of door cleaner very carefully.

Furniture is set.Circular tables with triangular chairs.CNN promotional cards on the table  saying ..’make connection over hot coffee..’.

The Corner Book Store,an in-house book café is not yet open.Six big locks are hanging.
Just outside Barista,a newspaperwala is all fresh & ready.People are coming every now and then picking up their readings.

Popular hindi song from Diljale..” kisi ke ishq mein khud ko mita do..ho nahin sakta..!!” is adding melody to Barista’s air.
This is unusual.Hindi songs are rarely played in Barista until they are aired by MTV or v-Channel;the two ‘official’ channels of Barista.Important sports events are the only exceptions.

Trays and desserts are being set. They look tempting. Arun is putting ‘ Brew today’, Barista weekly on the tables now.A newspaper is also attached with it.It is free-for-all.Otherwise ,if aren’t in Barista .it’ll cost you full two rupees!!

Total Barista employee are three.They are all at the counter.All between 21 and 25 years. One setting the trays,other  pouring coffee materals injars and the last one is working on the coffee machine.

Walls are colourful and witty.They define work as ‘ Something we do between coffe breaks!!’.I wonder if it applies to employees as well??

Chess boards are lying.

Fourth employee enters.After keeping his bag he’s watering the plants that are kept inside the coffee shop.
“Sapne mein milte hai kurri meri
” is the new melody in the air!!

Inside Barista is cool and glamourous.Peach coloured furnitures,phloroscent lights,orange counter,yellow walls,tiled –smooth floorings, Barista (Trademarked) paintings on the walls, exotic coffee menu,well lit, pasted just over the cash counter and scented air.
None of the working boys have spoken anything to each other.
First phone rings..9.55am!!

Naushad picks up..he’s talking while constantly staring the wall which says’ Its easier to change your religion than the café.’.

First Barista customer turns up..9:57 AM. And here’s the second..just 30 seconds later.
The first thing they both does is pick up the newspaper and scan through them.
These news dailies were brought by Arun from the newspaperwala.There seems to be a deal .Its Economis Times,Times of India and Hindustan Times.

I see more children games –Drump shirade and The Navigator.
TV is on mute now,as it is most of the time.Audio system is on.Brian Adams.
On tv ,its Anil Kapoor in Taal..10:01am.

Lights in Barista is mesmerising.They are in all colours.Yellow,blue and white.They seems to be adding the’relaxing’ element to the ambience.They are lending ‘Peace’ to the place.

The boys working at the counter are called the Brew Master.They arte in orange T-shirt,black trousers with black apron over it. Their uniform colours compliment the colours in the interior designing.

Fifth employee arrives. 10:21AM.
 
First customer is still here.Reading newspaper.TOI.Sipping orange juice. He’s in white shirt and grey trousers.Looks like an executive.He’s waiting for someone..it seems.Barista is his meeting place.

11:55AM:

Youth are pouring in.In couples. 
Threee middle aged men have also come.They are reading.People read more than they eat. Its look like a reading place than an eat-out joint.Colours,music,air conditioned, lightings and window-side seating arrangements,its indeed a romantic place which forces you to grab a cup of coffee and stay for a ‘little’ more time.

1:10PM. Human voice has now taken over the system voice.In other words the human conversation is more audible than the music playing in the background.

Barista employees have become interactive.They are talking  to each other now while taking orders,working on computers,on telephone and while serving.

It’s 1:35 pm.One couple.5 middle aged men in a group of two and three.
That’s all in this outlet. 

The group-of-three is eating and discussing some kind of a contract.The other group-of-two looks like a client-service provider meeting.One of them is speaking more thean the other,who’s an active listener.

3:30PM
Its drizzling outside.Great time for business.Hot coffee is now expected to pick up hot demand.

Boys on the counter are smiling
they have got a windfall.
The rain.         
        

II
Dinesh,20 yrs. graduating,2NDyear,correspondence
..Family in meerut
.Father retired govt. school teacher

..Two sisters,marriageable age

...Mother housewife
.,diabetic
.,kidney patient 
.,on dialysis
.,needs regular monthly expenditure
.,18000 rupees

..Father getting pension

..,2000rupees.

Dinesh working in Pizza hut

,Noida, lives in rented room
,Ghaziabad...Gets up at 6 am,fill water,wash clothes,bathing
.. leaves for work..2 hrs journey..DTC bus
.has to leave home by 8:30 am for ’11 to 8’ shift.

Dinesh’s dream
..to be a model
likes to read and watch English films
to improve English speaking skills
.does’nt get to do this
work consumes major chunk of the day 

.not required to speak much during work
only take orders and serve
.manager discourages from pursuing further studies
often misses weenend classes
..wants to study
but ‘have to’ work
earns Rs.2915 gross per month
2719 net
.for the last 2.5 years
..no savings
not able to send anything home
rent Rs.700
includes water and electricity
.food consumes lots of money

.wants to get a professional modelling portfolio
.will cost 10,000 rupees
before that..he should be ‘in-shape’
hence wants to join gym
but work timings and strains ..does not allow
.relentlessly working fot the last 2.5 years yet says
’he’s working  temporily
.the day I will get into ‘my’ line I will quit this’.

His line being modelling.A glamour world.
 


III
Shamim,24 yrs.,B.A Geography,
..Aligarh
..,family in azamgarh

,living in new friends colony,

..works in pizza hut
.,for six months

..,previously worked.. as ‘survey officer’ under haryana govt
..also done research survey for DMRC and Delhi general elections,

often stays back in the outlet to report for the morning shift 

.the next day,it saves transportation cost as well,
. staying in the outlet gives him airconditioned room,

 he lives in small room....8 by 8 feet
. ,with his friend,
.no fan,

.no cooler..,sleeps on terrace,
mosquito
.,flies
. and heat
,sometimes walks down from noida outlet to nfc
,as after night shift
 does’nt get bus
,says
 he likes walking,
.but wants.to buy a second hand scooter
..,trying to change job,
..tried in a private bank
,they asked for personal transportation for credit card selling
.,Shamim family in azamgarh,

does’nt know about his work,
.he does’nt share

.,they will think he is a ‘baira’, 

.for them he is working in a hotel,..father often insists on doing hotel management course
shamim does’nt also like his work,but can’t think of anything else 
and its important to keep doing something.      

IV
Anoop’s tale


After passing out from XII Anoop decided to work instead of ‘wondering around’ in college pursuing any higher studies.

Unlike most of his friends who are soon  going to finish their graduation now,Anoop shows no sign of regrets.
” I think I am much more rational and smart than my friends.After all,what are degrees going to fetch you. I think the 2.5 yrs. of experience  that I have gained is much more precious than all the degrees in the world” ,says an abashed Anoop.

Working in Pizza Hut Anoop earns 2600 rupees per month and prefers to work in broken shift  rather than going for a regular 9 hrs. job.

He works between 10am and 2pm first, and then again between 5pm and 10pm.
In between he takes some time out for his English Speaking course and also helps in his father’s business.

A hard working chap,indeed!!
Anoop believes that to learn the art of business one needs to be a hard-task master,and idolizes his manager who’s ‘professionally’ rude and unfriendly

Anoop’s father,who runs a tiffin-business isn’t much happy with his son’s choice of working in a fast food chain but prefers to keep quiet and lets Anoop live his life as he wants to live. Besides,he also appreciates Anoop’s diligence.

Anoop dreams of opening his own food joint,which will run on the lines of Pizza Hut and he has no hesitation in declaring that like his boss,he, too, will be a hard-task master!!

Anoop loves his work place.
“ It’s a happening place.I like the crowd.People of my age often come in with their girlfriends and sit for hours,hand in hand.Some of them even bring their guitars and play,sing  and share a great time together. I, too , have a girlfriend. Gitima Banerjee. She often come to meet me here at my work  place. I talk to her for a while. 
But only ‘for a while’,not much!!”
 “My manager keeps an eye on me.Well you know that’s his job!”

“Gitima  feels great about my job.She always reminds me to learn more from my job, especially from my customers who are educated and knowledgeable.”

“My job is cool because it taught me about food-stuffs that I had never heard of before coming here.”
“And then there is music all the time We play English songs that I don’t understand but  I like the beats.It keeps you going.”

“I,too,will open my restaurant one day. It will be equally colourful ,clean,musical and cool.”

And there will be no one to stop me or eye on me when I talk to Gitima.  

V
I used to be very talkative.I would always be smiling  and cracking jokes,meet my friends regularly and chat with them over phone.
Then,smiling was’nt my ‘job’.

My work took away my “ happy-go-lucky”image. Now my friends no longer think of me as “cool & mast guy”. Now I am serious and sincere for them.

I go to work and come back.Do my daily chores and sleep. Sleep has suddendly become as important as oxygen. I have to think about taking its daily quota to work properly.


.Anand,21 years old, II yr. Graduation. 

VI
Music,colourful walls,shinning floors, cool ambience,rich-looking people with their expensive perfumes scenting the air ,these are the inherent characterstics of my work place
     
These people are my customers and they are, most of the time, very polite but equally precise. They wear all the best of the brands that I think of wearing ,their wallets, their keychains ,even the cigrettes they smoke
everything is so tempting!!

They are nice too because they smile at me and return their smile.They are only one who smile and for whom we smile.

Some of them sound rude and ‘ordering’.But its okay with me.
 Riches,like clothes comes  in several shades here. Everyday.   

Rohit,25 yrs. Full timer,Pizza Hut.

VII
When I am at work,I eat pizza which I may not afford otherwise. Yet the pleasure does not come.When I go to the outlet and ‘buy’ it, it becomes tastier. This is so strange. I don’t know why it happens
.

Just few hours later I return to work and get to eat the same pizza with even extra cheese and sause
but no amount of ‘toppings’ can make it tastier. Because I am a worker.

Taste comes when I am a customer.
Sometimes,I feel its all in my mind,its not real.But can’t help .It just does’nt go.
Work is always on my mind.  

Ratan, 19 yrs. Pizza Corner.

VIII
My mom looks at me strangely when I tell her that the vegetable or fruits that she’s brought is not-good or when I show her how I,precisely cut vegetablesat my work in several geometrical figures of 8x24 mm triangles or 8x8 cm squares.

She looks at me with confusions and several ‘????’’s.
“What am I upto??”

My mother feels sorry for me.

Thanks for my work.  
  

Dinesh,27 yrs. Mcdonald’s.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

In my next phase of research I will study the whole Economics of smile which is inherent in whole food industry especially fast food chains.

I also intend to include women workers in my research,to study and map their life histories,in the form narratives.

In my futher research, I would also see the points of exploitation,the extent of alienation and the intensity of Standardizaion that is followed in such chains.

It will also be interesting to study the mobility in work force in such chains, while at the same time understanding whole mechanism of communication in these chains,both inter as well as intra.

I am continuing my work while keeping a close relationship with the workers of fast food chains both at work place and at the place of their residence.

   


 


wishing you happiness and health.

Khalid
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