Summary/Critical Response - Article Example

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 13 November Working at MacDonald’s I agree with the argument presented by the article ‘Working at MacDonald’s’. There are many reasons for my being in agreement with the article. MacDonald’s is a hugely success fast food chain. One of the reasons of its success is that it has successfully utilized economies of scale. But in the process of making everything efficient, the human element has been reduced to a great extent. Most of the activities in MacDonald’s are very mechanical.

The article is right when it says that teenagers working there don’t develop any entrepreneurial skills. After a few days the job there becomes no better than any factory job which pays one for one’s presence, hard work and compliance with the factory rules and regulations. When a person applies there for the job, an interview is conducted. A few basic questions are asked and if the person is available for work then they hire him/her. After that they conduct an orientation which isn’t too informative.

Just a CD is shown about the company’s history and a few practices at MacDonald’s. After signing up of the contracts the person becomes ready to do the shifts. Although MacDonald’s claim to have training schedule for new comers, nothing can be farther from truth. Most of the freshers learn from the ‘friends’ they make on the first few shifts. There is no proper training, no guidance and sometimes health and safety standards are also compromised. New employees are asked to complete an online course about food hygiene and health and safety.

After it is completed a Food Hygiene certificate and Health and Safety certificate is given which has no value both inside and outside the company. As one starts to work there one gets the feeling that all they want is a worker who can work for long hours and does not take sick leaves. In other words one’s presence is much more important than quality of work. This is the reason why even the most unwilling and lazy workers keep on working there for years. This may be a very generalizing statement but it is certified by previous employees of MacDonald’s.

It is a pathetic scene to see teenagers spend their precious time in doing such routine tasks. The problem is not the simplicity of the tasks; the problem is that working at MacDonald’s doesn’t add anything to one’s skills. Customer contact is very brief, food preparing process mechanical and work appraisal is non-existent. In such an environment the only thing a worker thinks while working on the shift is the end of the shift. At the end of the shift, there is a feeling of exhilaration.

The clothes are soaked in the smell of oil. The body feels itchy. And there is no energy left to do anything at home other than sleep. The only consolation is the pay that comes which is based on the number of hours one has worked. With money in the pocket and possibly a few work friends, the employee feels motivated to go again and get lost in meaningless work. And yes there is one more benefit of the job, the free meals that one can eat in the breaks (breaks are not paid for hence the free meal).

But somewhere deep inside the soul knows that nothing much was achieved all this week and the food that was made for people is called nothing but ‘junk’ food.