McDonald’s urges employers to hire older staff to boost customer satisfaction

McDonald’s has urged employers to recruit age diverse workforces after research revealed employing older workers in its restaurants increased customer satisfaction by 20%.

A study conducted by Lancaster University Management School into 400 McDonald’s restaurants found those which employed staff aged over 60 saw customer satisfaction rise by a fifth, while 47% of restaurant managers felt older workers went the extra mile to provide a good service.

The survey also showed 69% of McDonald’s managers thought workers over 60 could connect better with customers, and 44% believed they brought beneficial mentoring skills to the workplace that helped younger workers.

The fast-food retailer now employs more than 1,000 people aged 60 and over across two-fifths of its restaurants.

David Fairhurst, chief people officer at McDonald’s UK & Northern Europe, said: “While the vast majority of our employees are under 30, it’s good for our people and good for our business to have a diverse range of ages in our restaurants. I urge employers across our sector to realise the benefits of an age diverse workforce. As our experience has shown, the right blend of youth and experience can make a real difference.”

Paul Sparrow, director of the centre for performance-led HR at Lancaster University, added: “The research clearly demonstrates the very real business value of recruiting an age diverse workforce.”

Last month, the government announced it would bring forward the review of the default retirement age of 65 to next year due to the changing demographics of the country’s workforce.