McDonald's faces steady employee turnover at its restaurants. To address this issue, McDonald's strives to attract and hire the best employees through a strategic recruitment process. Each McDonald's restaurant is responsible for its own recruitment efforts through various avenues like advertising. McDonald's uses interviews to identify applicants' potential fit based on behavioral evidence of meeting job requirements. New employees then undergo training through a welcome meeting and probationary period. McDonald's aims to develop employees into managers through its management development curriculum, with over half of managers coming from promoted hourly employees.

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The impact of Positive Recruitment – a McDonald’s Case Study
Steady employee turnover at restaurants is an issue that fast food restaurant owners must face up to. It
is, in fact, a catch-22 situation; during an economic slowdown, restaurant employees stay in their jobs
when fewer opportunities are available. As the economy picks up, turnover increases since more
restaurants are hiring. Thus, the better the industry performance, the higher is its rate of turnover.
There are many reasons for employee turnover. The lack of advancement, poor working conditions and
transient nature of the work force may contribute to high turnover rates, but the restaurant industry
itself may be at the root of the problem. Long hours with low pay and little or no benefits do not help
build employee loyalty.
McDonald's strives to attract and hire the best in a work environment needed to thrive. To ensure the
company recruits the right people that deliver outstanding service, it has identified essential skills and
behaviours that applicants should be able to demonstrate. For each position there is a job description
outlining typical duties and responsibilities and a personnel specification defining personal skills and
competences.
McDonald's recruitment policy holds each individual restaurant responsible for recruitments. Several
recruitment avenues are used, including advertising in the restaurant. Other than this, McDonald's also
uses local job centres, career fairs and other local facilities to get the word of the hiring process out.
Incidentally, any recruitment exercise often generates more applications than there are positions
available.
For many young people, a job at McDonald's is their first job, with over 60% of restaurant crew aged 20
or under. A well-run interview identifies an applicant's potential to be a successful McDonald's
employee using an interview guide that helps the company predict how an applicant's past behaviour is
likely to influence future performance. A fact-based decision-making process is used that looks at actual
events or situations rather than allowing applicants to give a general or theoretical response. In short,
interviewers look for behavioural evidence that fits with the requirements of the job. After rating
candidates on their responses, jobs are offered to those who earn the highest ratings.

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Unsuccessful candidates are notified in writing and all new employees are inducted through a Welcome
Meeting, which they must attend. The Welcome Meeting gives an overview of the Company, including
their job role, food, hygiene and safety training, policies and procedures, benefits and training and
development programmes. New employees will also meet their trainer, and tour the restaurant. After a
3-week probationary period, employees are rated on their performance and are either retained or have
their employment terminated.
McDonald's future managers come from two
main sources. More than half of all salaried
management positions are taken up by
hourly-paid employees who earn promotion.
McDonald's encourages applicants to apply
online but if that is not possible, applicants
can call the Recruitment Hotline, or pick up a
pre-paid Business Reply Card from a
McDonald's restaurant. The selection process
includes an initial online psychometric test
after which the applicant then attends a first stage interview and is offered "On Job Experience" (OJE).
This is a 2-day assessment process and if successfully completed it will lead to a final interview, after
which the manager decides whether or not to hire the applicant.
Well-trained crew and managers are critical to McDonald’s sustained success. McDonald’s training
programs are aimed at enabling a 'first job' employee to move to a senior management position through
meritorious promotions. Initial and ongoing training is key to the development of employees and this is
done via a structured development programme that provides training in all areas of business. From
running the operational elements to managing the restaurant, the majority of training is floor based, or
"on-the-job" because people learn more and are more likely to retain information if they are able to
practise as they learn.
McDonald’s Management Development Curriculum takes new recruits from trainee manager to
Restaurant Manager and offers a direct route into restaurant management, through an intensive
structured training programme. The Management Development Curriculum focuses on
Shift Management
Systems Management
Restaurant Leadership
Business Leadership
McDonald's success is built on the highest standards of quality, service and cleanliness delivered to
customers in each of its restaurants, but having well-trained crew and managers are the first step to
achieving these standards. The success of McDonald’s recruitment process can be seen in the fact that
half of all McDonald's future managers were previously hourly-paid employees that earned a promotion,
and it’s no wonder that they’re loving it!