Fast food chain KFC is making strides to enhance its ‘Kshamata’ programme, which has focused on promoting diversity and inclusivity since 2008. In͏͏ recognition͏͏ of͏͏ this͏͏ year’s͏͏ International͏͏ Day͏͏ of͏͏ Sign͏͏ Languages,͏͏ KFC͏͏ will͏͏ train͏͏ all͏͏ 17,000͏͏ employees͏͏ in͏͏ sign͏͏ language.͏͏ The͏͏ initiative͏͏ is͏͏ expected͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ completed͏͏ by͏͏ the͏͏ end͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ year,͏͏ ensuring͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ KFC͏͏ environment͏͏ is͏͏ fully͏͏ accessible͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ Speech͏͏ and͏͏ Hearing͏͏ Impaired͏͏ (SHI)͏͏ community.
Discussing͏͏ the͏͏ programme͏͏ and͏͏ its͏͏ goals,͏͏ Moksh͏͏ Chopra,͏͏ General͏͏ Manager͏͏ for͏͏ India͏͏ and͏͏ partner͏͏ countries͏͏ (Bangladesh,͏͏ Maldives,͏͏ and͏͏ Sri͏͏ Lanka),͏͏ stated͏͏ that͏͏ promoting͏͏ diversity͏͏ and͏͏ inclusivity͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ global͏͏ mission͏͏ for͏͏ KFC.͏͏ He͏͏ highlighted͏͏ that͏͏ ‘Kshamata’͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ prepare͏͏ the͏͏ KFC͏͏ ecosystem͏͏ to͏͏ embrace͏͏ individuals͏͏ with͏͏ speech͏͏ and͏͏ hearing͏͏ disabilities.
Doubling͏͏ Employment͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ SHI Community:
KFC͏͏ currently͏͏ employs͏͏ 200͏͏ individuals͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ SHI͏͏ community͏͏ across͏͏ 54͏͏ outlets͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ country.͏͏ Chopra͏͏ mentioned͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ goal͏͏ is͏͏ to͏͏ double͏͏ this͏͏ number͏͏ by͏͏ 2026.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ KFC India͏͏ unveils͏͏ special͏͏ buckets͏͏ to͏͏ celebrate͏͏ International͏͏ Day͏͏ of͏͏ Sign͏͏ Languages
Prioritising͏͏ Gender͏͏ Diversity:
Chopra͏͏ stated͏͏ that͏͏ increasing͏͏ the͏͏ representation͏͏ of͏͏ women͏͏ employees͏͏ and͏͏ individuals͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ SHI͏͏ community͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ KFC͏͏ system͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ key͏͏ priority͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ company.
While͏͏ KFC͏͏ boasts͏͏ a͏͏ strong͏͏ representation͏͏ of͏͏ women͏͏ in͏͏ its͏͏ workforce͏͏ at͏͏ nearly͏͏ 36%,͏͏ compared͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ national͏͏ average͏͏ of͏͏ 22%,͏͏ Chopra͏͏ noted͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ raise͏͏ this͏͏ figure͏͏ to͏͏ at͏͏ least͏͏ 45%͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ coming͏͏ years.
“We͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ achieve͏͏ a͏͏ complete͏͏ balance͏͏ in͏͏ our͏͏ workforce,”͏͏ he͏͏ stated.͏͏ KFC͏͏ currently͏͏ operates͏͏ over͏͏ 1,200͏͏ outlets͏͏ across͏͏ 240͏͏ cities͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ country.
He͏͏ mentioned͏͏ that͏͏ KFC͏͏ is͏͏ committed͏͏ to͏͏ implementing͏͏ “customised͏͏ infrastructure”͏͏ to͏͏ support͏͏ the͏͏ SHI͏͏ community,͏͏ enabling͏͏ them͏͏ to͏͏ perform͏͏ and͏͏ thrive͏͏ alongside͏͏ their͏͏ colleagues͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ ecosystem.
He͏͏ explained͏͏ that͏͏ there͏͏ are͏͏ two͏͏ primary͏͏ job͏͏ roles͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ KFC͏͏ system.͏͏ The͏͏ first͏͏ role͏͏ is͏͏ that͏͏ of͏͏ a͏͏ team͏͏ member,͏͏ which͏͏ includes͏͏ cooks,͏͏ chefs,͏͏ cashiers,͏͏ and͏͏ delivery͏͏ personnel,͏͏ while͏͏ the͏͏ second͏͏ role͏͏ consists͏͏ of͏͏ managers.
He͏͏ stated͏͏ that͏͏ individuals͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ SHI͏͏ community͏͏ are͏͏ currently͏͏ employed͏͏ in͏͏ both͏͏ job͏͏ profiles,͏͏ utilizing͏͏ the͏͏ customised͏͏ infrastructure.
He͏͏ mentioned͏͏ that͏͏ KFC͏͏ has͏͏ created͏͏ an͏͏ online͏͏ training͏͏ module,͏͏ developed͏͏ in͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ a͏͏ sign͏͏ language͏͏ expert,͏͏ to͏͏ train͏͏ its͏͏ entire͏͏ workforce͏͏ in͏͏ sign͏͏ language.͏͏ He͏͏ added͏͏ that͏͏ India͏͏ has͏͏ a͏͏ significant͏͏ population͏͏ of͏͏ individuals͏͏ with͏͏ speech͏͏ and͏͏ hearing͏͏ difficulties,͏͏ and͏͏ this͏͏ training͏͏ will͏͏ enable͏͏ employees͏͏ to͏͏ engage͏͏ not͏͏ only͏͏ with͏͏ SHI͏͏ staff͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ KFC͏͏ ecosystem͏͏ but͏͏ also͏͏ with͏͏ customers͏͏ facing͏͏ similar͏͏ challenges.
“One͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ most͏͏ crucial͏͏ steps͏͏ towards͏͏ this͏͏ goal͏͏ is͏͏ promoting͏͏ the͏͏ use͏͏ of͏͏ sign͏͏ language.͏͏ Since͏͏ 2021,͏͏ our͏͏ annual͏͏ #SpeakSign͏͏ campaign͏͏ has͏͏ been͏͏ dedicated͏͏ to͏͏ this͏͏ initiative.͏͏ This͏͏ year,͏͏ we͏͏ are͏͏ proud͏͏ to͏͏ announce͏͏ that͏͏ 100͏͏ percent͏͏ of͏͏ our͏͏ teams͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ trained͏͏ in͏͏ basic͏͏ Indian͏͏ sign͏͏ language,͏͏ making͏͏ our͏͏ restaurants͏͏ across͏͏ the͏͏ country͏͏ more͏͏ inclusive.͏͏ We’re͏͏ also͏͏ extending͏͏ this͏͏ sign͏͏ language͏͏ movement͏͏ beyond͏͏ our͏͏ organisation͏͏ into͏͏ the͏͏ hospitality͏͏ industry.͏͏ Through͏͏ interactive͏͏ kiosks͏͏ at͏͏ popular͏͏ locations,͏͏ we’re͏͏ encouraging͏͏ consumers͏͏ to͏͏ learn͏͏ how͏͏ to͏͏ order͏͏ their͏͏ favourite͏͏ food͏͏ items͏͏ across͏͏ brands͏͏ using͏͏ sign͏͏ language,”͏͏ Chopra͏͏ stated.
