Who owns the problem in foodservice chains where handwashing frequency is low?

The split in this poll between Corporate Operations and Local Management reflects the essence of the question. Who owns the issue? Unresolved over time, poor hand hygiene behaviors become the standard.

When a proposed solution is raised at the corporate level, it isn't the out-of-pocket costs that kills it, it's available local management time. Corporate works with a template, a multiplier driven by their number of units. Let's say it's 1000. This non-income producing project now competes with new menu items, in-store promotions and efficiency projects - all which can be easily measured.

We often see the local franchisee more concerned about the risk of a foodborne outbreak than headquarters. At the national level an outbreak is a serious problem but everyone knows that the risk will never be zero. It's a bad break but systems are in place to handle it.

At the local level an outbreak commonly puts the owner out of business along with the loss of employment for all the staff.

In foodservice chains most everything of value is monitored closely with riveting weekly if not daily reports. We must start setting, measuring and documenting hand hygiene related standards. I believe standards should be set locally but reported nationally. Risk rises locally because it flows from local management's control, leadership skills, local facilities and customer base. The local owner's tolerance for risk also contributes to his standards. Headquarters must step up and ask local management to report weekly on hand hygiene compliance.

Until hand hygiene standards are agreed, monitored and reported most investments in hand hygiene training show a poor ROI. Any reduction in operator risk is short-lived.

Currently this poll is indicating a tie between Corporate Operations and Local Management. This reflects the nature of the issue itself.

I believe a solution must be fostered by headquarters but owned by the local foodservice unit. When headquarters faces a national change, the costs are multiplied by the number of units, let's say 1000 stores. Decisions are affected by competing priorities. Eventhough hand hygiene equipment costs may be minimal, management time is scarce. A national hand hygiene program would compete with the introduction of new and exciting menu items, store design changes, new uniforms, food security plan, etc.

At the corporate level, a hand hyiene related outbreak can easily cost millions of dollars but systems are in place to handle the crisis - and the risk will never be zero! At the local level, the franchisee/owner suffers the greatest impact as jobs are lost, the business often folds and one's life savings are gone. He has more to lose and more reason to attack the hand hygiene issue.

There is no way headquarters can monitor restroom cleanliness by the hour nor can they monitor handwashing behaviors. I believe handwashing must be measured and monitored locally but reported and awarded nationally before this dilemma will achieve an enduring solution.

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Handwashing frequency is often less than desirable with workers seeing little reason to wash more often and claiming to have little time as service trumps clean hands. Training helps but improvements don't endure. Quality assurance doesn't have a handwashing system to monitor. Who owns this problem?