MANILA, PHILIPPINES — McDonald’s Philippines, with over 760 stores across the country, is one of the biggest employers for Filipinos, boasting a proud number of more than 60,000 employees — half of which are part-time working students — who are always ready to serve customers with a smile and a helpful attitude. One of the key strategies that the company employs to ensure top quality service is to take care of its employees holistically, believing that happy and healthy crew members make for a happy and healthy business.
In this article, we dive into the initiatives and programs that the company executes to take care of its employees and, ultimately, serve customers well. Specifically, we take a look at the key programs and systems the company implements to take care of each employee’s personal and professional growth as they start or continue their journey with McDonald’s PH.
Malasakit at the core of the crew
From the moment a potential hire connects with McDonald’s Philippines, the company assures that their welfare is front and center by championing direct employment instead of contractual hiring, which many companies in the service industry use. Contractual hiring often only offers six months to a year of employment, which makes it impossible for anyone to feel settled and secure in their lives, and therefore unable to dedicate themselves into furthering their careers.
McDonald’s was actually one of the pioneers in direct hiring in the country back in 1981, under the direction of Founder Dr. George T. Yang, who firmly believes that beyond the promise of job security and stability, this practice enables its people to truly learn and grow in one place. The company has stood by this practice ever since, and continues to champion direct hiring to this day.
Furthermore, it has designed part-time employment roles specifically catered to working students, with training, programs, and policies that support them and their education. For example, the Crew Development Program (CDP) is a training program meant to maximize crew members’ learning in the shortest time to make sure it does not interfere with their class schedules and school requirements. Part-time workers also have the flexibility to choose their shift schedules and work at the most convenient locations near their schools to help them balance responsibilities. With these programs, among many, McDonald’s has been a launching pad for many successful working students; not only through the company’s training, but also from the environment designed around their specific needs, creating a supportive community for working students.
In fact, Ivy Asuncion, a recent graduate of Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, who started out as a part-time crew member, dreams of joining the managerial trainee program and move up in the company — which is one of the many ways working students can further their careers through McDonald’s.
At the core of each of these initiatives is a values-led culture — a major driving force in the programs and systems that McDonald’s Philippines has put in place to safeguard its employees. One of its core values is Malasakit or Compassion, which is apparent in its aforementioned efforts — from its commitment to direct hiring to offer job security, to taking special consideration of the circumstances of working students.
But more than Malasakit, McDonald’s culture is also founded on being Customer-driven, having Integrity, practicing Teamwork and striving for Excellence — five core values that fuel every employee’s journey with the company, may it be as a crew member or as a C-level executive. These values are weaved into everything the company does from employment training to daily operations, even performance evaluations, and more so in the institutionalized feel-good programs for employees that are specifically designed to make employees feel happy and fulfilled despite the stressful nature of their jobs.
A few examples include “Good Trip,” which is an annual employee volunteerism program that encourages Malasakit; “Salamuch Crew,” which gives words of affirmation and appreciation to the hardworking crew members who face customers everyday, and underlines being Customer-Driven and having Integrity; and regular recognition programs and friendly competitions that foster a spirit of Excellence and Teamwork. These long-running initiatives strengthen the company’s promise of unlocking its employee’s best selves, and further encourages and inspires them to grow and be better. A leadership council dedicated to further exploring programs to strengthen these values is also in the works.
Through the company’s training and employee programs, employees are able to build and nurture their professionalism, discipline, and self-confidence, which are invaluable traits that they can carry throughout their careers.
From employee welfare to customer satisfaction
With this, it is clear how McDonald’s Philippines, above all things, cares about people — may it be from behind or in front of the counter. The company is committed to ensuring that its employees are well taken care of, and are therefore able to extend their positive attitudes to customers, and further build on the brand’s reputation in the market as an ideal workplace.
Visit bit.ly/McDoCareersPH to apply.
