[Reader-list] Fast food chains:McDudes!!

Thu Jun 2 14:41:08 IST 2005

Hi all,

I m almost finished with my Post Graduation (and my bank balance TOO..!!)

And hence am able to spend a great deal of time with Fellows at fast food chains. Our discussions, as usual, starts with a lot of curls and curves, comes to our work and then to our employers.

 This time I deliberately chose to provoke questions pertaining to work pressure and the general dissatisfaction amongst employees across fast food joints.

Following are some of the responses that came out as a result of my provocations.

 I must admit here that provoking is a real fun!! And a fine Art too, Especially if you are a researcher at Sarai.

 Its time for my next posting which also becomes the time to put all the fun I have had in writing.

READ!!!!

    -------------------------------------------

The McDonalds 

Way.

Move forward.

Focus on what is best for the system.

Contributions.

Recognize individual and team achievements.

Develop.

Integrity and trust

Open communications.

Confront and resolve solutions.

No losers.

Aim for win-win situation.

Actively Listen.

Act the way you talk.

Leverage diversity

Debate for the benefit of customer and system.

Deliver.

All commitments.

Support.

Decisions 100%

-------------------------------------

Your Work is your choice, dude!!

 Ive been a McDonalds employee for almost 4 years now.  2 as crew 1 as a shift
manager and now an assistant manager.  Yes I work at McDonlads it has
been my choice I choose to work there, I may not like it all the time
but I could quit any time if I wanted to.  I do empathize with a lot of
the people here.  I have employees that are the best I could possibly
have and see them get treated like crap by our Owner/Operator and
General Manager.  I also have to deal with the employees that call me a
f**king A*s when I asked them nicely to sweep (seriously I had
someone say that to me)  I've been crew and been crapped I've also been
a manager and been crapped on.  But I chose to stay for my own reasons. 
Like I said it is my choice, I could go down to some call center, Departmental store or some factory job and get paid maybe a little less, or maybe a little
more, but I choose to stay. (Somedays I wounder why)  But I still stay. 
I dont mind reading about peoples complaints because no matter where you
work you will always have that one day were you just come home and rant.
Every job has that.  But if some one has found a job where they haven't
had a day like that send me an application!!  I just think
everyone needs to chill out and realize that its just a work, a job and its your choice to work there. 

 Have fun with it.  I try
to have fun with my employees we try to have fun and work at the same
time sometimes it goes a little to far and I have to step in a little but
99.9 % of the times when there happy Im happy.  And if you have a
crankey manager just hit them over the head with the reality board a
couple of times.  I promise it wont hurt them much.  Have fun and have
a great day at work.

Bharat,McDonalds.

---------------------------------

I have been working there for roughly 1.5years. 
Here are the reasons why I have stayed there for so long, and will
probably never leave for a while:

* 

 Managers treat you like they would treat their friends. No, they don't
let you off with eating in the crew room while clocked on, or swearing
on shift etc, but they are very sociable, open people who are great to
work with. I am not a lonely person who accepts anyone with open arms, I
am a very social person myself and I can see how these Managers are a
great asset to the store.

*

The condition of the store is second-to-none and the store looks like something you
would see on a training video.

 *

Management and Owners treat staff with the utmost respect with things
like rostering, wages and training. No crew is treated differently from
the other, whether full time or casual.

*

The "old school" crew who work there are never going to leave, because
they have learnt that it is a good job. Up to 12 crew haven't left in the last 6 months.
 This is an obvious sign that this store is
doing really well.

Whether you are good or bad comes from the customer.

 It seriously comes from customer feedback. It's like everyday that a
McDonald's restaurant has a new employee being trained, these employees
get in shit for going too slow or doing everything wrong or not doing
things that they weren't taught. Sure they make like millions of
mistakes but thats because they're learning, and what do customers do?
They glare at the manager on duty and they get the crew person in shit.
Sure it's not all customers but its most of them.

 I basically hate work only because of the way I get treated by
the customers. I admit that I love working with the people I work with
but not these Inspectors who expect everything to be perfect and
dandy, they focus on customer satisfaction but not the satisfaction of
their employees. Here's my point, the crew working in the service get in
shit from customers, the back people get in shit from the service people
for going too slow, the crew get in shit for arguing, then all of this
leads to some of the employees abusing the work and the employer.

 I'm just gonna agree with people saying that you're not forced to
be working for the company, you have a god damn choice!

 If I , being a woman, can travel for almost an hour by bus during this scorching heat to do the work that  I do, why not others? 

The crux of the matter is: My work engages me and hence   imlovinit!!

And iminit!!

Lubna khan,McDonalds 

------------------------------------------

I'm a college student, and I make overtime pay all the time,
but only because I choose to work those hours.  If someone is so stupid
they stay with a job they hate, that's their problem.  I was promoted
because I care about the job I do.

Managers at McDonalds do the same job as the crew.  I was a crew person
for 2years, and I was treated perfectly fine and paid more money than
most professions that require the same skills.  Why?  BECAUSE I KNEW HOW
TO DO MY JOB.  Of course you won't be treated as well if you don't do
your job right.  Nobody likes that.  I have news for you.  If you work hard,
your pay will reflect it.  If you are lazy or stupid, or both, of course
you will make low wages.  I have more news for people who think our job is sad... THAT'S NOT
MCDONALD'S PROBLEM!  It is a business just like any other.  I can tell
you right now though, I probably make more money at McDonald's and get
more benefits than you do at whatever the hell you choose to do, and
this is just a job to get me through college.  

  When things are slow, we may cut some labor and send someone
home or when things are high we dont hesitate to overstaff either, but basically, we have a lot of fun.  Managers and crew laugh and
make jokes constantly with each other and we all have a good time. 
Working at my store is more like getting paid for going out to club. 
Sure there is work involved, but hey, there's no reason you can't have
fun. So, you must work for the shittiest McDonald's in the Nation, That,
or you're just the shittiest employee and you don't know how to make
your bosses laugh

Sandeep, McDonalds,

 Pursuing MBA Correspondence from IGNOU. He regularly sees McDonalds website, likes McD TV ads. and dreams of going to Hamburger University to learn trade formally.

-----------------------------------------

Hi, I will have been a McD's employee for 2 years next month. I think this
has given adequate time for me to judge the good side and bad side.

PROS:

Money- working at McDonalds gives me the opportunity to earn money 
which means i dont have to beg for money from family to go out on a
week end at PVR   or to buy clothes of my choice,like some of my friends do.

People- I ve met lots of people at my store who i now consider to be
close friends. these include managers and other crew. also, ifind managers at my store
are very understanding about problems with scheduling, being late etc. i
suppose im just lucky.

Working conditions-I find that my store is a good, safe place to work.
there are plenty of first-aid to go to if you injure
yourself, if a piece of equipment beaks it will usually get fixed pretty
soon afterwards.

CONS:

Scheduling- although managers are usually understanding when it comes to
changing shifts, it doesn't stop the scedule being f*cked up. people get
put down fo shifts they cant turn up for, people requesting days off
months in advance and not getting them, people asking for shifts and not
getting them, full timers getting part time hours and vice versa,
sometimes at night you'll be lucky to have 3 crew and 2 managers on which isnt nearly enough.

Customers- i dont think people realise that a mcdonalds extra value meal
is NOT a culinary delicacy.....its fast food!!! We cant get them meticulously prepared food with right amount of salt and pepper and sause all the time. Sometimes,our customers expect us to be their mothers!! 

McDonalds disciples- these are people who love their job...too much.
they spend all their time in the store forsaking education and a social
life for a good pay review. from these seeds unpopular managers do grow.
it comes as no surprise that these people are unpopular manager's
favourite crew members.

Some managers- the minority of managers at my store think they are
better than crew because of the type of shirt they wear. These are the
type of managers who try to run a kitchen on a Saturday afternoon and
fail miserably and blame it on the crew. Luckily, other managers put
these ones in their place.

Food- well, if you eat the same thing over and over in the same environment which is a strictly regulated work place , you too will be exhausted soon.

Ahh well, I suppose that the cons outweigh the pros slightly. but still I love my work,
basically because i have many good friends there and i
know i am good at my job.

Sandhya Sharma,McDonalds

---------------------------------------------------

Smile in the Golden Arches

Apparently,Lean Time is Clean Time, at McDonalds. However,Smile remains an integral part of the McD uniform. 

And You See It On

 Smiling Cashier : greeting in a friendly manner.

Smiling manager: Making passes through the dining room on a regular basis, interacting with customers, raising a smile or two. 

Smiling customers: Hung on the wall (wall of fame!!) after being photographed during one of their parties at Mc D.

Smiling Stars: McD employees being honored as Employee of the month, or Rising star, stamped on the wall with their pass port-size-smiling face-snap.

Smiling service guy: Looking directly into your eye and Offering you a Meal-solution; Would you like some extra cheese with mustard ketchup, sir?  

And last and also the least

Smiling interiors: With changed color, look and the feel inside the store, particularly emphasizing on environmental graphics and warmer tones.

ONE LIFE. ONE SHOT. 

Happiness, Health & Peace, 
Syed Khalid Jamal   

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