On a busy highway, late night drunk customers made a 24×7 McDonald’s store into a pit stop. That resulted in not only many an unsavoury situation, it made the crew feel unsafe. They sat down to write a letter.
Taking recourse to a McDonald’s programme called the ‘Personal Action Letter’ (PAL), the employees wrote down their issues and posted it. An investigation followed that led to a change in the working hours of the outlet to ensure safety of the employees. That was just one of the many instances where the PAL program has helped employees with a problem that was larger than what they could solve, as well as those who couldn’t summon up enough courage to speak up.
Around the world, organizations are making it easier for employees to have their say, solve problems and secure redressal within the organization. At McDonald’s, it takes the form of the PAL where employees can share things they are not happy with or things that they think can be improved.
The idea is to encourage employees to talk about challenges stopping them from performing duties or affecting work environment. These envelopes are self-addressed, stamped and postage-paid; all that an employee needs to do it to write the complaint and drop it at the nearest post office.
Upon receiving the letters, the human resources team discusses corrective measures to address the concerns. The PAL program is an effort to instill trust and confidence in McDonald’s employees. Transparent communication is one of the many things that makes McDonald’s a truly great place to work.
