Advance Inclusion in your workplace
Lead the way to create inclusive workplaces with expert support, tailored resources, and a vibrant member community. Inclusive Employers membership gives you the tools and insights to advance inclusion and make a lasting impact.
Our third Daily Action of National Inclusion Week, The Power of Recognition, focuses on empowering others.
McDonald’s, our National Inclusion Week 2022 sponsor, explores the power of recognition and how they recognise employees in their organisation in this blog.
Why is recognition so important?
Regardless of the sector, fostering an engaged and motivated workforce is paramount to success in business. For McDonald’s, recognition – whether that’s top-down, or peer-to-peer – plays an important role in the employee experience.
Embedding recognition in our day-to-day operations ensures employees feel valued and creates a positive culture where people want to work.
How McDonald’s encourages recognition
McDonald’s has various routes to recognise and celebrate its people across its restaurant and corporate teams.
Values heroes
One popular example is its ‘Values Heroes’ programme.
Values Heroes is designed to create a culture of thanking each other. It’s all about encouraging everyone to notice the efforts and achievements – from tiny to terrific – that make a difference.
It wants their people to shine a light on their teammates – to say ‘thank you’ for putting in extra effort and going that bit further.
Employees are encouraged to use #heroes on social media platforms and digital assets to celebrate and encourage people to say thank you to each other and recognise the small actions of those who have made a difference. Everyone and anyone can nominate their colleagues and this can be combined with a physical award as well as combine with other recognition programmes.
Service awards
As well as peer-to-peer recognition, McDonald’s also has various awards initiatives to recognise its people more formally. Services Awards, which recognise people reaching major anniversaries with the business are one such initiative.
For office staff, senior leadership use monthly all-employee meetings to thank employees for reaching milestones, and all employees reaching significant milestones receive vouchers as a way of recognising their achievement.
Celebrating and acknowledging in a public forum, as well as rewarding with monetary vouchers is a great way of thanking people for their commitment and service over a long period of time.
McDonald’s ensures to celebrate exceptional employees regularly by rewarding employees across the business who demonstrate and live McDonald’s values in their day-to-day roles. There are a number of monthly, quarterly and annual awards. Their employee of the year award is open to nominations from any of the restaurants across the business.
The finalists are then invited to their offices in London for a day of fun and meeting the CEO and CPO in the business. Normally one winner there was actually three last year as the finalists were all amazing!
Twice a year within their corporate teams, individuals can be nominated for the holiday award. This award is for individuals that have gone above and beyond and also brought the company values to life day-to-day. Six individuals from across their business are awarded an extra weeks leave and £2500 in holiday vouchers!
Ray Kroc award
At a global level, McDonald’s most prestigious award is the biennial Ray Kroc award which recognises its most high performing employees, rewarding the winners with a trip to McDonald’s worldwide convention in Orlando, and a cash bonus worth one month’s salary.
The winning managers will have been recognised for achieving exceptional operational & financial results in several areas and doing an outstanding job at running great restaurants.
Could you be the next sponsor of National Inclusion Week?
Discover the benefits of sponsoring an established inclusion and diversity event
Become a NIW sponsorHow do leaders/teams and franchisees encourage recognition at McDonald’s?
McDonald’s offers a range of apprenticeship programs to employees including degree apprenticeships and people manager apprenticeships. McDonald’s appreciates that taking on an Apprenticeship requires a great deal of commitment, dedication and drive.
This is why McDonald’s gives Franchisees, restaurant leaders and mentors the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic progress apprentices are making throughout their learning and development journey.
Leaders and mentors have a range of resources and tools to celebrate achievements that their apprentices are making, including recognition cards & prize draw, graduation bundles, ideas for social shout-outs and suggestions for celebrations.
Along with all of the bits and pieces that you have read about McDonald’s has a super impressive development programme and promotional prospects. Over 90% of their Restaurant Managers started their careers as crew members and were promoted through the system. This can then lead to corporate roles and beyond. Perhaps the next CEO!
At its heart, McDonald’s is a people business. It’s the thousands of McDonald’s staff that deliver the feel good moments that keep its customers coming back time and time again. Celebrating their successes is a powerful way to make sure employees know they are valued.
Our upcoming events
Member Community Event – 8 January
Engage – Setting the scene for Inclusion
Prepare for 2025: Free EDI Insights Webinar
EDI Strategy – Getting The Basics Right
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 – For a Better Future
Member Community Event – 4 February 2025
Member Community Event – 5 February 2025
Time to Talk Day 2025: Understanding and Supporting your Mental Health at Work
Ethnicity Pay Gaps – Where To Start?
Sexual Harassment – Changes to The Workers Protection Act
Human Sustainability: The Intersection of Inclusion, Growth, and a Sustainable Legacy
Employment Legislation Changes: are you ready?
Creating an Effective Anti-Bullying Policy – Advice for HR Professionals
Member Community Event – 4 March 2025
Member Community Event – 5 March 2025
International Women’s Day 2025 #AccelerateAction
Equip – Making your policies work for you
Prepare for your CSRD Disclosure – ESG Impact Reporting
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Empower – Recognising staff contributions in a meaningful way
Advance Inclusion in your workplace
Lead the way to create inclusive workplaces with expert support, tailored resources, and a vibrant member community. Inclusive Employers membership gives you the tools and insights to advance inclusion and make a lasting impact.