and without prior warning of the hierarchy

Friday, at 1 p.m., in a McDonald's restaurant crowded of King's Road, a commercial artery of London. A nearby table a solitary worker, a mother tries to prevent her offspring of smudge happily ketchup. Later, two friends Cherry Salad, the cajoleur their strollers near they look. In his uniform of assistant manager, Sylvia brushes between tables and toddlers. "Families in McDonalds, there are many in the room, but in the kitchen", she recognizes. Family contract ("family contract"), she heard mentioned. But, like many, it has chosen to work only a few hours per week for the fast food chain. Also feels hardly concerned by the experiment conducted by the group, since nearly a month, hundreds of kilometres away.

"This new contract is but a first," insists David Fairhurst, "vice president people" of McDonald's UK. Never again, to the United Kingdom, a company had been to two staff members of the same family to replace their position in case of need (illness of a child, etc.) and without prior warning of the hierarchy. The signing of a rider to the contract of employment is sufficient to, for example, to allow two sisters, employed in McDonalds, to organize that one replaces the other to his position of working if she has the level of competence required to do so. A formula at the time "simple and adapted to the rhythm more accelerated of modern life, which allows the signatories to the contract to better manage the time without calling in question their job, their status or their wages", explains the Director of human resources, which tests a new type in Cardiff (Wales country) contract and five other cities in England.

Increase motivation

The idea of family contract he came after review of the structure of the payroll. The latter left appear that some 1,000 employees had 67.000, 60 of employees between 16 and 21 years).

"family contract" is not intended to reduce absenteeism in the 1,250 British restaurants of the sign "already low with an average rate of absence of 1.25 days per employee, against a rate of 7 to 8 saved on the whole" that to add flexibility to the company, ensures the HRD. And in so doing, to increase the motivation of employees. "Employees greater freedom to manage their use of time, are pleased employees." "However, happy employees make happy customers," he insists.

Evidence, according to the latest annual survey for the company by an independent body with 36,000 employees, 74 of employees would recommend the group to a friend, reports David Fairhurst with pride proud to work for McDonald's and 85.

The policy of flexibility takes forms the most variety in McDonalds: schedules to the map, possibility for parents to replace their children used during class hours in high school or College, possibility of transfer of staff between restaurants during the school holidays... Pushed one step further by the introduction of the "family contract", it would be, according to him, "better than carrot sticks and conducted by other companies", that reward gifts or a premium the attendance of their employees (such as the British position or the airline British Airways) or, on the contrary, in part lowers coverage disease of those who are too often absent (experiment attempted by Tesco supermarkets).

A notice in phase with that of the unions, but not represented in the food chain. At the TUC Trade Union Confederation, it defends indeed eager all initiatives aimed at better balance between work and private life. As such, it admits observe the experiment at McDonald's with a distrust... tinted interest. "Individual rights of employees who sign a"contract family"are really all respected." "When one of them is sick, especially, the other must replace it", asks Jo Morris, in charge of labour and equal rights. "At the TUC, we advocate greater flexibility, but within a framework strictly regulated to ensure respect for the rights of individuals, and provided that it does serve any pretext management to discard its responsibilities.". "Thus, when an employee is ill, he belongs to management to organize its replacement and not to other employees to take the blame," she insists.

At McDonald's, it is yet convinced that the "family contract" is a win-win solution both for employees and the employer. Because the first may not only better organize their time, but also retain their individual contracts with all the rights that are attached to, including their level of remuneration and accessible after three years of seniority private health coverage, provides David Fairhurst, sweeping the crossing the criticism. As to the risks to the employer, after a month of testing, they appear to be also limited.

Families accepted in this pilot project are all strong motivation and disciplinary record unblemished. Indeed, a conflict is always possible and, where appropriate, will require appropriate individual sanctions, admits HRD. Similarly, a slight additional cost will be to predict if a parent manager is brought to replace her simple child employee. Because there will be additional hours on the basis of its own hourly wage. But these contingencies should remain rare, believes.

Rehabilitate its image

And the game would be in the candle. Because it is also in the image of the company as an employer. Become much symbol of junk food and jobs at a discount, the Golden Ark of McDonald's has seriously lost lustre. In the United Kingdom where the group, facing stiff competition, began a huge work to rehabilitate his image. On the one hand, by seeking to reposition itself as a school of learning of responsibilities and a champion of the flexibility and, on the other hand, by relying on an investment project of some EUR 75 million for the modernisation of 200 restaurants in five years.