McDonald’s UK has been awarded the Investors in People (IiP) Gold Standard for its outstanding achievements in training and employment practices. IiP is a national quality standard awarded to organisations which demonstrate a commitment to best practice, people management and personal development. The Gold standard is the IiP’s highest accolade and less than 2% of the UK’s companies achieve it.
Jez Langhorn, McDonald’s Vice-President People said: “We are thrilled that our efforts in people practices have been recognised and accredited by such a prestigious award. Over the last five years we have been on a journey to build an industry-leading range of benefits and initiatives that help support and motivate our people throughout their time with us. We have developed training opportunities for all of our people which, not only provide a clear progression route but also offer the chance to gain transferable nationally-recognised qualifications along the way. Achieving this award is great recognition for both our business and for our people.”
The rigorous assessment took place over a four week period with over 2% of the 85,000 strong organisation being involved either through an E-survey or face-to-face interviews. Employee feedback indicated that 88% would recommend McDonald’s as a great place to work and 87% felt proud to work for McDonald’s. Areas which were highlighted as ‘great’ included the flexibility offered to staff members, the availability of a structured learning path, opportunity to gain apprenticeships and participate in online learning. This emphasises the value that employees place on the provision of work-placed learning available at McDonald’s.
John Telfer, Managing Director of Inspiring Business Performance (IBP), which is responsible for delivering the Investors in People Standard across London and the South, said: “McDonald’s should be proud of its culture of continuous improvement where people feel genuinely valued. The training and development, in particular its Apprenticeship programme is truly outstanding and I hope this latest accolade will further enhance the company’s reputation. McDonald’s has done an excellent job of proving how beneficial the Investors in People award can be and we hope it encourages other organisations to become accredited.”
After becoming one of the first companies in the UK to achieve awarding body status in 2008, McDonald’s training and development has continued to grow. The company now invests more than £30 million in training for its people every year and offers a full suite of qualifications from adult certificates in maths and English to a foundation degree in Managing Business Operations. To date more than 26,000 qualifications have been awarded to its people.
McDonald’s was first accredited with IiP status in 1998 and have retained it ever since. In 2005 the company became the first high street brand to be successfully assessed using the IiP Profile – in which its emphasis on People Management was awarded with the highest possible level, indicating ‘World Class’ practice.
