Introduction
In the contemporary world, the majority of successful and dominant companies in different fields of specialization owes their success to their human resources departments. The human resources department is very crucial because it is responsible for ensuring that the welfare of the employees is taken care of. In any organization, employees are the main contributors to the success of the organization because of their input in it in terms of labor. That is, without the human factor in an organization, no progress will be realized. Therefore, whether the employee is of high or low grade, the human resource department should address their needs in equal measures.
The McDonald’s Human Resource Department
This paper will focus on the role played by the McDonald’s Human Resources Department to maintain its dominance in the fast-food industry. It will specifically look at the training and development programs that the company conducts in order to equip the employees with customer handling skills.
Training and development programs
According to Diane (2004), every individual who joins McDonald’s has to undergo intensive training, popularly referred to as the Crew Training System. Diane further explains that this form of the training program is organized in a way that every stage has its own unique training. That is, as the employee moves from one job group to another, the training skills become more sophisticated and generalized. He argues that the Human Resources Department at the headquarters has made sure that every subsidiary has a room set aside for staff training. He claims that some of the materials found in these training rooms include a video player that is used to demonstrate to employees how to perform their duties.
Another measure that the Human Resources Department has undertaken is to make sure that its employees are promoted according to their dedication and input in their work. According to Cooke (2003), this is a positive move because the employees will compete with one another in service delivery, and this helps in maintaining the company’s reputation all over the world. In addition, he points out that there are other courses that the company has initiated for its employees. One of them is the course of the basic operation that is tailored to equip the employees with the essentials of a restaurant.
McDonald’s has entered into a partnership with Hamburger University to improve the quality of employee training. The employees at the assistant manager’s level are taken to Hamburger University for further training, and they pursue an advanced course in operations. This is according to Tony (2002), who further states that such a move ensures that the services offered in the restaurant are of high quality.
He argues that, besides the training given to the McDonald’s staff, there are other benefits that the company has extended to them. According to Tony (2002), they include life insurance, annual wage increase regardless of the position occupied by the employee, free uniforms, and rights to own McDiect shares. He claims that these benefits are very encouraging to the employee and boost their morale to achieve and maintain the standards set by the organization.
The restaurant sets aside some finances from profits for the welfare of the employees. This strategy enables the restaurant to have continuous growth despite the harsh economic conditions. The employees who are well trained and motivated are always available to offer services when needed by the company.
Reference list
Cooke, W. N., 2003. Multinational companies and global human resource strategies. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Web.
Diane, A., 2004. Fundamentals of Human Resources Management. New York: AMACOM Books. Web.
Tony, R., 2002. Labor relations in the global fast-food industry. London: Routledge. Web.