KFC’s commitment to helping people with disabilities could be epitomised by one special restaurant in Kuching city, where for more than a decade the hearing and speech-impaired have practically run the place. The staff members share their experience with Power of Two about working in what has become a highly successful CSR programme for KFC.

Ting Hing Sung, 23, is a shift manager at KFC’s Saujana outlet located at Jalan Khoo Hun Yeang in Kuching. Apart from his hearing and speaking disability, nothing seems to set him apart from any other KFC shift manager throughout the country, in terms of dedication, discipline and skills.

When Power of Two asked him recently what the most challenging part of his job was, he matter-of-factly replied that nothing was more stressful than the company’s internal quality audit. Most people would have thought that his disability would be the hardest thing to overcome in his work, but after nearly eight years working at the restaurant, not being able to hear or speak, is no longer a major barrier for him carry out his duties.

Through “interpreter” Regina James, who is the person-in-charge of the Saujana outlet, Ting revealed that he joined KFC as a part-timer in 1999, after completing his studies in SMK Stampin.

“I learned about the job opportunity at KFC from the newspapers and also from the people at the Society of the Deaf, and I applied right after my examinations were over.I don’t really know of many other companies that offer jobs as good as KFC does, but this doesn’t really matter, as I don’t intend to go anywhere else, anyway,” he said.

Ting pointed out that he doesn’t have ambitions to be a restaurant manager but does relish the idea of becoming assistant manager, one day. If he ever needed the inspiration or advice on how to become an assistant manager though, he doesn’t have to look far, as the Saujana outlet’s longest-serving employee, Junaidah Ismail, already holds the post.

When asked why he did not aim for the top post in the outlet, he said he was not confident that he had the necessary skills and also pointed out that he would have to work much harder before he could even contemplate such an idea. Although Ting could not explain what skills were needed to become a good shift manager at KFC, Regina helpfully added that Ting was generally good at his work.

“He’s very responsible, punctual and I can count on him. I can depend on him to count the stock and he is also a trainer to all the staff here,” said Regina, who added that Ting’s contribution to the team was invaluable for her.

One of the staff that Ting is training at the moment is Liew Wan Chin, 18, who joined just over a week before this interview took place.

“I’m working part-time for now, during the school holidays,” she said, adding that her friends told her about the job vacancy at KFC. I like working here, especially since I have a lot of friends here.”

The staff at the 168-seat Saujana outlet receive the same pay as any other KFC staff member in the country, as the restaurant chain believed in equal pay for equal work. Apart from the outlet in Kuching, KFC has two other restaurants in Malaysia that provide work for the speech and hearing-impaired, namely in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.

Regina revealed that business at the outlet was good and her were always prepared to work even harder during public holidays, when the number of customers also tend to increase.

“Some of our customers prefer to come here, as they feel it’s more quiet here and they also told me that the staff here are more accommodating, compared to the other outlets they’ve been to.”

Regina is one of only three “normal” staff members at the outlet, and she admits that even though all the workers were highly capable at what they do, there were certain tasks that they were not able to perform.

“They (hearing and speech-impaired staff) can be left alone, but it’s difficult when we need people to answer the phone and handle customer complaints. But apart from that, work-wise there is no difference between the ‘normal’ and ‘hearing and speech-impaired’ staff.”

Customers were generally understanding of the situation at the Saujana outlet, but there have been occasions where certain customers were upset when the staff did not answer their questions.

“This usually happens with first-time customers, and it’s an example of when we need to ensure there are people around to handle such situations,” she said.

On the subject of training, she explained those who had not received much formal education, found it harder to receive instructions.

“The most important thing though is to be patient with them, while at the same time we instil discipline in them. Instead of scolding them for their mistakes, we correct and advise them. After that, even at the busiest of times, they will be able to do the job that you ask them to do,” she said, while adding that most of the current staff were Kuchingites.

Some of the staff members signed up for the job through the recommendation of friends, while others were brought in by their parents and by the Society of the Deaf. When asked how long it took her to learn sign language, Regina said it took her three months to get the hang of it, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn from her subordinates.

“My staff taught me how to sign and I learned by asking them a lot of questions,” she said.

Technology has also helped her to communicate better with her staff, namely through the use of mobile phones.

“Since around 2005, I noticed that all of them have mobile phones and this makes it easier for me to pass messages from my superior to all of them.

“If there’s a news I want to pass on to them or if there’s a meeting, all I have to do is SMS them.”

For companies who are keen to hire people with disabilities, Regina stressed on the importance of instilling discipline in any of their workers with disabilities.

“The most important thing to do is to teach them discipline. Then all you need is a lot of patience,” she said.