McDonald’s has unveiled a new advertisement at Piccadilly Circus announcing that the benefits and opportunities of working for the company are “not bad for a McJob”.
The move, the first time a company has used the iconic London site for employer reputation and recruitment advertising, follows the publication of independent research which found that working at McDonald’s has a positive impact on the development of young people in terms of their skills, personal growth and career opportunities.
Brighter Futures, a study of 475 people including young McDonald’s employees, their working friends, parents/partners, managers and teachers, was conducted by Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London.
It revealed that 90% of parents believed that working at McDonald’s was good for their children. A further 72% said they had seen positive changes in their children since they started the job, ranging from improved communication skills to increased confidence.
The study also showed that 90% of young McDonald’s employees showed high levels of satisfaction and commitment in their jobs – substantially higher than other workplaces where comparable studies have been undertaken.
About 66% believed their opportunities for promotion were better than their friends – the average among their peer group being only 25%.
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David Fairhurst, vice-president for people at McDonald’s, said: “We’ve known for years that the jobs we offer are good for young people. But if we’d run an ad saying this on arguably the world’s most iconic advertising site before today, people would have quite rightly said ‘prove it’.
“With the launch of the Brighter Futures report, we now have that proof. Our people say it; their friends say it; and their parents say it – our jobs transform young people in a positive way. That’s not bad for a ‘McJob‘.”
