McDonald's focus on quality of jobs

Employment Week 2007, the event which attracts all the key EU stakeholders in the employment debate, is taking place in two weeks. High profile European employers will be taking centre stage at the event and discussing the big issues affecting the future of the labour market.

Ccile Staner, vice president of Human Resources at McDonald's Europe, will be taking part in a panel session with other key stakeholders in the employment debate, and speaking about the quality of jobs now and in the future as well as how McDonald's provides quality jobs for its 225,000 staff across the EU.

The challenge
Creating more and better jobs. This is a daunting challenge for Europe but it is one that cannot afford to be ignored. It is a collective challenge that EU Institutions, Member States, trade unions and employers alike must turn into a winning opportunity for our society.

At McDonald's, as an employer of over 225,000 people in 27 Member States of the European Union, we are determined to continue playing our part in providing our employees with a quality workplace.

Driven by globalisation, the fast pace of change in the knowledge society and demographic change, the European labour market is going to become a more volatile and demanding place. The world of work will become more complex and technical. At the same time customers and employees will be more demanding in what they want to get from their work. We cannot look at the employee benefits and job satisfaction we offer through a 20th century lens. Good staff will be at a premium and companies will have to compete on the grounds of quality jobs, in the same way that they compete on quality products, if they are to retain a competitive edge.

A quality job can mean very different things depending on the country, the nature of the work and not least, on the individual employee. Of course, there may be definitions that set founding requirements that all could agree are part of quality jobs: fair wages, health and safety, good and fair working conditions and social protection.

What was considered as a quality job two decades ago, may now be different. Today, employees' aspirations and expectations from their employer are evolving as society changes. They place a great importance on up-skilling and mobility and on greater flexibility allowing them to combine work with care, education and achieving a work-life balance. This is reflected in recent debates on the EU employment and social policy agenda on 'flexicurity' - the balance between flexibility and security.

The solution
At McDonald's, we take our role in providing 'quality jobs' seriously. We define 'quality' as creating both competences and confidence in our workforce.

Building competences is an essential part of providing the quality and service that are so important to McDonald's. We develop worldwide standards, but also tailor training to work alongside government-recognised and locally-accredited schemes. For example in Germany, we are piloting a development programme for middle-managers, and in Denmark we have established an officially recognised two-year internship for shop assistant education. Our education programme in the UK, 'Our Lounge', involves online learning enabling crew members to take qualifications in English and Maths at exam centres within 200 restaurants, and access lifestyle information. Our employees acquire critical interpersonal and organisational skills such as teamwork, communications, customer care and time-management. They gain valuable experience and build confidence in their own abilities, such as leadership and management which apply whether they continue with McDonald's or go to work elsewhere.

In September 2006, we created McPassport, a programme allowing and facilitating trained restaurant employees to move to work in other restaurants in Europe. Just like a passport, it provides an official certificate that employees have reached a certain skill level, which means other McDonald's restaurants can be certain of employee credentials. Launched in the context of the European Year of Workers Mobility in 2006 with the European Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, this is one of the biggest private sector mobility programmes in the EU.

A shared responsibility
Building confidence is about bridging the gap between the perception and reality of working at McDonald's. Talk to our restaurant managers and you will find highly-trained business leaders with a wide range of management skills. Talk to our employees and you will find an extraordinarily diverse group of people, acquiring transferable skills that will be of benefit to them in their future careers, whether at McDonald's or elsewhere.

Offering quality jobs is something all responsible organisations should strive to do. There is a clear business benefit. Companies that provide their employees with opportunities for self-fulfilment will win their trust. And, companies that don't offer 'quality jobs' run the risk of losing their competitive advantage in recruitment and retention of staff. This is all the more important in an economy characterized by fluctuations and rapid change, accompanied by a contracted labour market and ageing population. Service industries will be competing on these grounds as much as on their product. This will help to make the political vision of 'better jobs' a reality.