Corporate staff at McDonald’s are expected to start working from office thrice a week. Chris Kempczinski, CEO, McDonald’s, drew attention to the fact that the business of the fast food chain was majorly in-person. Its restaurants require workers to be present physically and serve ‘in person’ and this ‘in-person’ culture runs across its corporate offices too.
Recently, McDonald’s joined the growing list of employers who are waking up to the importance of offering caregiving benefits to attract and retain employees. Restaurants in the US were the hardest hit amidst the pandemic, with outlets being shuttered due to lockdowns and mobility restrictions. Many employers lost their jobs, but with wage subsidies to the rescue, workers are now not willing to get back to work. As a result, food outlets and chains are finding it difficult to hire workers. Even getting workers to appear for interviews has become a challenge. McDonald’s is offering emergency child care and other benefits. It has hiked hourly pay and will now cover the tuition costs of its employees. It is also offering more paid time off to draw youth.
Worldwide, organisations are realising that the productivity of employees is affected if they have to struggle to balance their professional work with domestic responsibilities including taking care of children, old parents or other elderly at home or even those with disabilities. Employers often fail to realise that a significant number of their employees are bogged down by caregiving responsibilities, and that the pandemic has only made matters worse for them.
