How a healthy working environment can unlock a worker’s best self
An employer-employee relationship is always evolving. There are adjustments both parties must make just to keep abreast with the changes in the world of work, which is an occurrence in any industry. In the last four years alone, both employers and employees have had to strive to be even more resilient under duress, given recent global events and advances in technology that kept sidetracking business operations. Amid the crises and issues, some employees still had to deal with their lack of compensation (despite being overworked), and to some extent, make-do with unsafe working conditions just to keep their jobs. But in some ways, the past four years also gave companies time to ruminate about factors that have a direct impact on any employee’s physical and mental health conditions, specifically on how they cope with and combat burnout while doing their best to manage their time to achieve work-life balance.
There are employees who leave their jobs not only because of insufficient compensation but also because of zero connections with bosses and a lack of recognition from officers. While these factors, and more, can undoubtedly affect work satisfaction and employer-employee relations, there are Filipino employees who are surprisingly happy with their jobs, even despite being underpaid, according to a Southeast Asian survey by job search website JobStreet Philippines. The survey highlighted that good relationships with superiors and healthy camaraderie with colleagues alongside skills training, company values, and the possibility of career development are a few of the reasons why employees stay in a workplace. Supportive employers know that merely providing benefits and a paycheck doesn’t make up a fulfilling job. There should be an effort to also invest in employees’ competency development, provide them with a healthy company culture, and help them reach their maximum potential. It is safe to say, therefore, that employees—when engaged and constantly appreciated in a safe and ideal working environment—experience less burnout, perform better, and tend to stay in the organization longer.
Successful companies like McDonald’s Philippines (McDonald’s), one of the country’s leading fast-food chains, have long been advocating for this kind of working environment. Apart from conferring its employees (both working in-store and those in the corporate headquarters) with world-class training for personal and professional development, the company relentlessly delivers an inclusive culture which makes employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves out and contribute to their full potential. When it comes to engagement, McDonald’s fosters a positive employee experience and organizes recognition programs and engaging activities, which keep its workforce motivated and connected. Hinged on corporate values such as customer-driven, malasakit (compassion), integrity, teamwork, and excellence, this quick service restaurant (QSR) giant delivers conscious and deliberate actions to exceed the needs and requirements of both internal and external customers, while demonstrating concern for everyone (including customers, employees, co-workers, and business partners). McDonald’s also champions uprightness in character and action, upholding the standards of one’s profession and position through honesty, responsibility, and trust. All these goals are achieved through teamwork and dedication to being excellent in all its day-to-day dealings, to always ensure the best results.
McDonald’s also puts premium in the appreciation and recognition of its managers and crews working in over 740 of its stores nationwide. To genuinely illustrate the advocacy, McDonald’s Best Me Campaign, which aims to instill in all its employees a sense of pride for being part of a global brand that attracts premium local talent, was launched. At the heart of this campaign, McDonald’s wants their employees to feel good and knowing that all the hard work and dedication they have invested on the job are always acknowledged and valued.
Standing as a testament to McDonald’s commitment to nurturing and appreciating its outstanding team, the brand relentlessly gives credit to all staff—from managers and crew to maintenance and security employees— who play a pivotal role in ensuring that customers feel genuinely good while enjoying their favorite McDonald’s moments. The company acknowledges that its employees’ unwavering diligence, hard work, and commitment to giving all customers a memorable dining experience, each time they relish their favorite McDonald’s meals, is the secret behind the company’s massive success.
McDonald’s Philippines also ensures a safe and inclusive workplace that allows its more than 60,000 employers to thrive. The company takes pride in being an equal opportunity employer, providing career opportunities to Filipinos from all walks of life—regardless of background, age, gender, or sexual orientation—even to working students, senior citizens, and persons with disability (PWDs). To date, it has hired almost 100 senior citizens and PWDs assigned in different stores nationwide and commits to employ 500 more this year. Women are also well-represented in the company, with 50% of them holding influential leadership roles.
McDonald’s Philippines was recognized as one of the Philippines’ best employers in the inaugural list of The Philippines’ best employers in the inaugural list of The Philippines’ Best Employers for 2023 and once again, this year by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and international market research firm Statista. The list shared a ranking of the country’s top-rated employers as evaluated by their employees.
Being one of the country’s biggest employers, McDonald’s champions equity in its head office or stores as all employees have equal access to training and development and advancement opportunities, and actually extends this to more members of the community with programs like Workforce Immersion Program (WIP), a training program that allows Senior High School students a firsthand experience of the fast-food industry and its operations. This QSR also boasts of its Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), where the company employs underprivileged students and out-of-school youth as crew members. Since adopting SPES in 2011, McDonald’s has provided 16,319 Filipino youth with employment opportunities.
McDonald’s Philippines is steadfast in its resolve to promote employee development and is set to make 30,000 available positions and career opportunities within the company this year, as more new stores are geared to open in key cities nationwide. Individuals who aspire to work for one of the best employers in the country, a rewarding career and professional growth await. The journey begins by checking the company’s information on the McDonald’s Careers Facebook Page (McDo PH Careers FB Page) or McDonald’s Philippines LinkedIn, where one can explore exciting career prospects with the company.
The company vision is to create and provide a values-driven work culture that offers all team members life-long skills training, continuous learning and competency and professional development. Thus, it takes immense pride in the comprehensive training and development programs it provides, empowering their employees to take on new challenges and responsibilities. Through these efforts, McDonald’s Philippines paves the way for their team members to progress within the company, its way of expressing how it truly recognizes and nurtures each individual’s potential, talents, skills, and strengths.
McDonald’s believes that its employees are its greatest assets—the lifeblood of the company, if you will, and a human reflection of the brand; thus, as it steadily expands, it wants its employees to grow with the business, too. By elevating and upskilling all employees, McDonald’s also gives them the opportunity to grow alongside the company’s growth, while relishing the journey of becoming the best version of themselves.
INQUIRER.net BrandRoom/JC
