Episode 13

Cia: Welcome to Employee Activation, the HR podcast that takes you into the minds of some of the world's brightest workforce strategists to find out how they make both their employees and their organisations thrive. I'm your host, Cia Kouparitsas.

When you think of KFC, you probably picture the Colonel, that finger lickin' chicken, and a brand that's known across the globe. But behind those iconic red and white buckets is a workforce of thousands. Diverse, hardworking people from every walk of life serving their communities in restaurants all across the world. And at the heart of it all is the KFC Foundation, a powerful force for good, helping KFC team members build brighter futures through education and support.

Today, I'm thrilled to be joined by Emma Horn, executive director of the KFC Foundation. Emma and I first crossed paths a couple years ago through our work with the GED testing service, a partner we both work closely with. From our very first conversation, it was clear we share a vision to empower people through education, re-skilling, and a focus on potential.

Under Emma's leadership, the KFC Foundation is doing just that. Her team is delivering life-changing programs to support restaurant employees and their families. Everything from scholarships and emergency aid, to personal development and career advancement. Emma, welcome to the podcast.

Emma: Thank you. So great to be here today.

Cia: It is so nice to have you, Emma. I've been wanting to do this one for a long time. Um, I just love the work that you guys do at the KFC Foundation and I think there's many lessons other organisations can learn from you. But I would love to kick off with your personal story because it's a very, uh, unique role that you have and a very rewarding one.

And I would love to learn what led you to this purpose-driven work and what inspires you most about leading the KFC Foundation today?

Emma: Yeah, absolutely. I never thought I would end up spending my entire career so far in the nonprofit space. Um, when I was in college, I was studying to go to law school, had been accepted into law school, deferred it, and just, you know, I like to say that I stumbled into this space, but when I look back, you know, I loved volunteering all through high school, volunteering in college.

That was a big part of what I spent a lot of my education time doing. And it just is so nice to work in a space where you really get to care about what you do every day and you wake up knowing that the work you're doing is gonna make a difference. And then you get to go to sleep at night knowing that you made a difference in somebody's life, even if it's not me directly, if it's through my team and tangently through the programs that we run.

So it's been an incredibly rewarding career. Challenging, um, but incredibly rewarding. And what I love most about being at KFC Foundation and what inspires me here is just knowing how much potential we have, how many people that we are supporting now that there's thousands more of employees across the US who we can support.

And we're always thinking about what's next? What program do we need to have, um, to better support and meet employees where they are? And so it's that never ending opportunity out there that we can always do more to take care of employees.

Cia: Yes. The good work is never done. I love that. I think it's safe to say, Emma, that the KFC brand is one of the most iconic on the planet. Uh, can you tell us a little bit about the people behind the counter, who makes up your workforce, and why are they really at the heart of the foundation's mission?

Emma: What I love about the people we have working in our restaurants is, first of all, they're incredible and it is really, truly diverse. You know, we have people who walk into restaurants at 16, starting their very first job for the very first time.

Some of them head off to college, some of them become head of their household at 18. And then we have people who've worked with our, in our restaurants for 35 years and it's been their career, um, to run and manage restaurants and really train and prepare other young people for their careers. And so we really believe at the foundation that our mission is to meet everyone where they are.

Um, so we have so many different programs that take care of people wherever they are, um, on life's journey. And I just love that we're able to meet so many different employees.

Cia: Absolutely. And, and in terms of the support that you provide them, I know that's very diverse as well. It's everything from scholarships to emergency assistance.

How do you tackle this? What's the overarching mission in terms of what you wanna do for these individuals and how does that come to life in practice?

Emma: Last summer or two summers ago now, sorry, our board had a retreat where we really thought about our mission and came up with a new vision and a new mission statement that really inspires our team and makes us, um, really excited for some new opportunities and some new work.

And so our mission is to support and empower KFC restaurant employees and our communities. And so that's really is thinking about, you know, all the different programs we have, reach people at different stages in life. It empowers them to go reach for their dreams. It supports them in times of crisis. And so we're really able to be there, all those different points in your life that you just need a helping hand. We're able to be there.

Cia: And, obviously you've made the impact on, you know, thousands and thousands of lives. Is there a particular story that brings it to life for you in terms of an individual who, who you've supported through the foundation and it's just changed their life?

Emma: There's thousands of stories to tell. So I always have to think about one of the first ones, and then I always think about the latest story that we have. So one of the first stories, when I first joined the foundation six years ago, we had a family in Minnesota that the father, uh, passed away. And, um, all six children worked in a KFC.

And so we were able to take care of the funeral for the entire family. And years later, some of those kids are still working in those KFCs, and I think one of them is now the RGM. So it's just nice to see the long-lasting impact, um, and that we're changing, able to support people at really horrible moments of their lives.

They know that their team is wrapped around them. They know that the people that they show up in a restaurant with care about what's happening in their lives, that their franchisees care, and that the brand cares about who they are.

And then the last story of what's just happened is just last week we had, uh, two brothers earn their GED on the same day. Um, so they started working at KFC and 95 days later they tested through all four parts of the GED, which, you know how hard that is and how challenging that is to get that done in such a short amount of time. And so we had a graduation celebration for them on the same day where they had tassels that they got to move as a part of, like a high school graduation moment, um, just to really celebrate that achievement of earning their GED.

And it was amazing to watch the two brothers do it together and just knowing that the impact on their family is so deep because the GED doesn't change one person's life, it changes the entire family's lives.

Cia: It does. And Emma, for the benefit of our listeners outside North America, the GED is a program that supports individuals who didn't complete traditional high school and helps them earn their high school diploma equivalent.

Uh, many GED graduates and GED learners come from underserved communities, uh, in the states it's often black, Latina, indigenous or low income, and they face life circumstances that have made finishing high school impossible and for too long these individuals have been overlooked by mainstream education and workforce systems, held back not by a lack of talent or drive, but often by stigma and earning a GED isn't just about a certificate. It's about opening the door to higher education, meaningful careers, and personal transformation. It, it really is that first step towards a better life. It's a program that's incredibly close to both WithYouWithMe and the KFC Foundation, because I know you agree with me, Emma, that we believe in seeing people for their potential, not their past.

Emma: Mm-hmm.

Cia: I would love to now, uh, change tact a little bit and talk more broadly about the importance of these kinds of programs and foundations for organisations in general. I think the work you do is quite innovative and revolutionary, and I would love to to know in your view, what you think separates a good employee support program from a truly great one.

You know, what is the secret sauce in terms of how you think about it?

Emma: For us, the most important thing is making sure that we're listening to the employees about what's working and what's not. Whenever we start a program, you know, we have pre and post assessments that we do with employees. We work with specific franchisees or specific restaurants where we know we can ask a little bit more of them, knowing that it's gonna be a little bit extra work to help us with some surveys or some pieces. And then we try to recognise and celebrate those teams. But we pay attention to the trends and what's happening in each program.

You know, we are seeing in our hardship assistance, we started to see more and more cases of people experiencing homelessness. Um, and so we tried to think differently about what can we do for an emergency situation and launched a partnership, um, with a local hotel and motel, um, across the US that enables us to provide quick responses when people need shelter for a night.

Um, when we couldn't, we didn't have an option for that before. So it's just for, it's about listening to employees about what they need, um, and being able to pivot around and move nimbly to meet employees where they are.

Cia: And how do you, 'cause you obviously have a lot of partners, um, who you deliver these programs with everything from, you know, financial literacy organisations to education providers.

How do you build partnerships that work, that, you know, deliver what you need for your people?

Emma: The most important thing is making sure that our values align and then our mission aligns. Um, so we work closely with partners who care about the same population of people that we do and care about the same end goals.

So in thinking about, you know, GED Testing Services is a great example. We all care about a world where people have more education. And so that way we're all aligned around the same goal. And at the end of the day, if there's ever a hard conversation or something's not working, we can work together because we're working towards the same goal.

And so it kind of takes away that, you know, this is my way of doing it, or this is, this is the other way. Um, this is the way it has to get done because we know we're all trying to serve the same people.

Cia: Yeah.

Emma: And it makes it easier to take the ego out of, um, problem solving and come to the best solution to take care of, students in the case, GED or restaurant employees, whoever it is that we're focused on.

Cia: Yeah, true partnerships. I love that. Um, one thing I have to say that stands out about the work you do is how you celebrate milestones big and small. And I see so many great photos from you on LinkedIn of beaming smiles from your people.

Why is that celebration piece so important to the culture you're building?

Emma: Life is really hard. And so whenever we get a chance to celebrate and we just wanna make sure that, you know, there's so much that our restaurant teams do on behalf of the foundation, we wanna take every chance we can to recognise and to celebrate the hard work they do.

Um, our restaurants lead our fundraising efforts through roundup campaigns and so we literally cannot do what we do without them. And so we wanna make sure that we are recognising them for all that they do for us. And we wanna recognise all the incredible achievements of employees across the country as they reach those big milestones too.

And then we try to do it as much as we can as a team as well. And so, you know, our small but mighty team of seven, we try to make sure that we're recognising each other and celebrating, you know, we're halfway through this project, this is a big one, but we're halfway there. And that's a moment to, you know, celebrate. Even if it's just bringing in coffee for everybody. What are those things that we can do? So. And it helps to have rewarding work that you're doing every day.

Cia: That too. That too. And I'm curious how other people can support you guys. So obviously, um, the KFC Foundation is being supported by KFC, the corporation.

Um, but I've heard a rumour, and it's probably true, that every chips that you sell, fries, sorry, my Aussie heritage coming in there, but fries can contribute to supporting the foundation. How does that all work?

Emma: You are correct. So we like to say that fries change lives. Um, because when you order french fries at a participating KFC restaurant in the United States, a portion of that comes back to support the foundation.

And that's our partnership with our franchisees and their belief in the work that we do, and also their belief in their employees and that they wanna make an investment. Um, so they make a contribution every time somebody orders fries back to the foundation.

Cia: Love it. So every time you're asked, would you like fries with that? The answer should absolutely be yes!

Emma: A hundred percent yes.

Cia: That's great. And then now the final question, Emma, and it's one that we ask all of our guests. Uh, what is your top tip for other leaders out there who are looking to, to really activate their team members or their employees to mutually align, you know, their goals, their ambitions, their hopes and dreams with the success of an organisation?

Emma: For me, it's an, you know, an oldie, but a goodie of starting with why? And helping everybody understand, you know, the why behind anything is important. And so, you know, we try to think about the work we do at the foundation that aligns with KFC corporate and aligns with our franchisees, and it's all about the why.

And so at the end of the day, if we are able to make the lives of restaurant employees a little bit easier and a little bit happier, and they show up a little bit happier. They're happier to their guests, they're happier to each other. And all in all the restaurant's gonna function a little better. And hopefully at the end of the year we see, you know, more customers coming back into that restaurant.

So we try to align, you know, our goals and our objectives with the business. But it all starts with why. Why are we all doing this work together?

Cia: Yeah. I think that's so important to remember, and it's something you see widely reflected that, you know employee happiness and customer happiness are often really closely related.

So it's great that you're going from the employee first and, and, um, building out from there. That's wonderful Emma.

Look, thank you. I've been, um, really excited to, to delve into the foundation and you certainly didn't disappoint. It's, um, an extraordinary mission that you are delivering on and, and supporting so many worthy, deserving individuals to create the lives they dream of. So thank you for the work that you do and for inspiring others to, to do good work as well.

For anyone who'd like more information, uh, you can head to the WithYouWithMe website and find the Employee Activation page. We'll have more information on Emma, the KFC Foundation and all of the wonderful work you're doing with the GED Testing Service as well. So thank you again, Emma, and to everyone else. We'll see you next time.

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