HR & Training at McDonald's

Background

"McDonald's is not just a burger company-serving people; we're a people company serving burgers. We recognize our real strength is our people who are the foundation of our business." - Ray Kroc, Founder [McDonald's Corporation]

McDonald's vision is to be the world's best Quick Service Restaurant experience. The culture and heritage of the McDonald's' business - the brand, behaviours and values - are the foundation for achieving the McDonald's vision. Together, they define who we are and how we are at McDonald's.McDonald's provides the door to limitless career opportunities. The average McDonald's restaurant employs 40 to 60 people - from crewmembers to the restaurant manager. As of today, McDonald's employs more than 2,500 people across India.

Says, Smita Jatia, Managing Director, Hard Castle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd (HRPL), "We are an equal opportunity employer, providing not only [local] employment but long-term careers as well. The world-class training that we impart enables us to provide our customers the ultimate McDonald's experience.
"When a new employee joins the organisation, he is taken through a systematic induction programme. This is done through one-on-one interactions as well as exposure to the customer through operations training in the restaurants for a specified period of time. Crewmembers are trained extensively on all food safety and food handling processes. The crew trainees work shoulder-to-shoulder with their trainers while they learn the operational skills necessary for running the restaurant - from the front counter to the kitchen areas.

At McDonald's, our selection process is very systematic and comprises of 3 stages

1. Aptitude Testing and Initial Interview after screening the applicants' resumes, the short-listed candidates are called for a psychometric evaluation [a written aptitude test] and initial interview. The aptitude test gives insights into the applicants' verbal reasoning and critical reasoning amongst other important aptitude measures.

2. On the Job Evaluation [OJE] Short-listed candidates undergo a 2-day OJE at a McDonald's restaurant, which provides the candidate with an opportunity to look at McDonald's as a potential employer. It also gives McDonald's a chance to observe and assess the candidate's performance.

3. Final InterviewAll candidates who attend the OJE are called for the final interview. This is where the final and overall assessment of the candidate takes place and selection decisions are made.

Training Forums

Training is an important part of the McDonald's work experience and starts as soon as an employee joins the McDonald's team. These forums help improve public speaking and presentation skills as well as encourage mutual growth.
The MDP series is designed to help an employee to become the most effective manager. Given below are the various levels a candidate has to go through in order to effectively complete theMDP:

*Basic Shift Management [BSM]
The BSM takes place at the Trainee Manager level. It addresses the 'whys' and 'howtos' of McDonald's procedures and standards, rather than 'what-to-dos' or 'what-toknows'. It also deepens the candidates understanding of operational skills, standards and procedures.

* Advanced Shift Management [ASM]
The ASM is intended for a Second Assistant Manager. It develops the manager's ability to observe and gather facts, analyze information, and then act and communicate according to McDonald's policies and good business/people practices.

* Systems Management Course [SMC]
The SMC is an opportunity for First Assistant Managers to gain knowledge of recognizing various real-world problems within the restaurant and the different approaches in analyzing and resolving them.

* Restaurant Leadership Programme [RLP]
RLP focuses on the skills and behaviours necessary to drive business results within a McDonald's restaurant environment. This includes a focus on leadership skills, team building, decision-making strategies, and problem solving. RLP is designed for the promotable First Assistant Manager.

* Operations Consultant Course [OCC]
The Operations Consultant course is designed to help the McDonald's consultants develop a strong business relationship with Restaurant Managers through the use of effective communication, leadership, operations and consulting skills. Participants learn how to prioritize and how to prepare for both scheduled and non-scheduled restaurant visits. They also learn appropriate data gathering techniques to use within their patch in order to analyze and diagnose needs and challenges for individual restaurants. They learn how to implement problem-solving techniques with their restaurant managers; link restaurant support tools to the restaurant system, and measure store and patch performance. They also get to conduct a restaurant visit for hands on operations training.

* Training Consultant Course [TCC]
TCC teaches consultants how to present and facilitate training more effectively in order to maximize learning and performance of participants. TCC is designed for regional/country Training Cnsultants.

Graduate Career Advancement Programme [GCAP]

At McDonald's, every employee is encouraged to grow by providing all the necessary support possible. The Graduate Career Advancement Programme is one of the ways in which we put our good intentions to practice. Several McDonald's managers across our restaurants and head office had started as crewmembers and have developed valuable career skills along the way. This development has been fostered by McDonald's' policy to actively promote from within the organisation. Employees are encouraged at all levels to invest in their studies even while they work. GCAP gets the crewmember directly to a Second Assistant Manager's level on successful completion of the programme. The eligible candidates are required to sit for written evaluation, personality assessments and personal interviews. After which they are put on a training programme and upon successful verification get promoted to Second Assistant Manager. Learning initiatives are continuously enhanced to match the requirement of developmental needs to see that employees are continually aiming at improving themselves, which ensures that McDonald's maintains the edge it enjoys over its competition.

Benefits

McDonald's offers a total compensation package that leads the quick service restaurant industry. Crewmembers enjoy flexible schedules, paid training and the chance to work with friends while learning valuable life skills. Additional benefits include:
* Competitive starting rates in addition to regular wage and performance reviews for continuous growth in skills and earning capacity
* Performance-linked pay
* Extracurricular Crew activities
* Free employee meals in the restaurant

Opportunities

* A Fun Team
Each person on the McDonald's team plays an important role. Crew and Managers work together, constantly communicating and supporting each other in a teamwork atmosphere that is busy and challenging, but which always strives to be cooperative and fun.
* Flexible Schedules
At McDonald's, flexible schedules help employees choose the hours that best suit their lifestyle.

Recognition and Rewards:

In addition to competitive wage and promotion programmes; hard work, dedication, motivation and results are recognised as well as rewarded at McDonald's. Appreciation comes in many forms - from a simple thank you for a job well done, to restaurant-wide recognition through programmes such as the Employee of the Month' and ‘Employee of the Quarter'. McDonald's also offers a centralised incentive programme, called MahaBucks, with access to McDonald's gift certificates and branded merchandise.

Restaurant Management Structure: