Former McD's employees...

Back in the late 70's, I was hired at McDonalds! They told me that I had to cut my hair and shave my beard (I was only 17 at the time)..
Getting this job was more of a nightmare then a joy of having another paycheck at the time... Their reasoning was they wanted the All American Look.. Needless to say, I showed up with long hair, still sporting the beard, and in a minor argument with the manager. To me, today and back then, this was the biggest joke I've ever dealt with.. Curious if there's any other 'outlaws' (guess thats what they would call us), for telling this corporation NO THANK YOU...

In my opinion, the business ALWAYS has the right to tell it's employees how to dress and present themselves. On the other hand a prospective employee ALWAYS has the right to seek another opportunity.

When I was in high school guys did not have beards or mustaches, had buzz cuts and flat tops, and McDonalds was just getting started. Never worked in one. That was late 50s and early 60s. The American Graffiti era.

I worked at McDonald's circa '71/'72 but wasn't letting my freak flag fly, at least not hair-wise back then.

What irritated me was the lie detector test they made you undergo when you worked there. I guess they assumed their employees were stealing food all the time, which was a joke because after actually making the McDonald's fare for a while, the last thing you wanted to eat was anything from McDonald's.

I wonder if they still subject employees to this demeaning practice or if it's even still legal to do so? It was hardly the way to foster employee loyalty.


The other practice I hated was when you were on the closing shift--closing meant basically you had to take everything apart, wash it down, then re-assemble everything--they only paid you for an hour's work, but it always took twice that time for even a team of seasoned workers to accomplish the tasks. So you always gave them at least an hour's worth of your free labor. Again, a demoralizing practice.

I lasted there a little over six months and in retrospect, I probably would have stayed on but for these two practices. It was hard, hot, greasy work, but I sort of liked it at the time--it was my first "real" job--and for a fresh out of high school graduate, it was ok money, not the chump change that such work has in more recent times been characterized.

I'd like to think McDonald's treats their employees better these days. I lived in a small town for most of my adult life and I know that there was more than one long-term employee of the one McDonald's in town, so I hope that was a sign that the company encouraged and rewarded longevity. This type of work is too often derided, but for the type of worker who has not the skills or the interest in a college education, this type of work enables a person to make a respectable living and gives the lie to liberal critics of capitalism (like that book Nickled and Dimed to Death in America by Ehrenreich)that you can't make a living at jobs like this.

I'd be interested in hearing from current McDonald's employees as to how they treat employees these days.

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

Back in the late 70's, I was hired at McDonalds! They told me that I had to cut my hair and shave my beard (I was only 17 at the time)..
Getting this job was more of a nightmare then a joy of having another paycheck at the time... Their reasoning was they wanted the All American Look.. Needless to say, I showed up with long hair, still sporting the beard, and in a minor argument with the manager. To me, today and back then, this was the biggest joke I've ever dealt with.. Curious if there's any other 'outlaws' (guess thats what they would call us), for telling this corporation NO THANK YOU...

I think that Disney still has the policy of no facial hair...
Not sure....

"And the sign said, "Long haired, freaky people need not apply."...

quote:

Originally posted by divefl

"And the sign said, "Long haired, freaky people need not apply."...

Thanks now that song is in my head!-"so I tuck my hair up under my hat and went in to ask him WHY"

quote:

Originally posted by mikez629

quote:

Originally posted by divefl

"And the sign said, "Long haired, freaky people need not apply."...

"So I tucked my hair up under my hat and went in to ask him WHY"

I'll bet you looked like a fine upstanding young man.

So, I ripped off my hat and said "Imagine that! Me working for You."

RF karaoke!

McDonalds required lie detector tests? Really? Well, I know an employer can't require you to submit to a lie detector in Maryland unless it is for a job in law enforcement.

And as to being required to work off the clock to do cleanup, that is a violation of labor law. I am assuming you were not a salary employee.

Although I was in my 30's at the time (mid-70's) and a GI haircut model, I was one of those who enforced the appearance code for 6 Flags, the Theme Park Chain at their New Jersey Park. I worked in Safety and Security as an orientation trainer. Winning the hearts and minds of the Youth of New Jersey as they came in for their first-ever jobs meant weeding out the 'Long-Haired Hippy Weirdo Freaks". Sorry Vic !

I wonder how much food they can hide away today in those baggy jeans.
Imagine going home to a crotch full of Big Burgs.

I remember McDonald's as my first job. It taught me a lot. The franchise I started out with still exists. Even more, it cooks all of it's food to order, still.

quote:

Originally posted by roossy90
I think that Disney still has the policy of no facial hair...
Not sure....

Yup, they do. Among many, MANY other rules about personal appearance and habits.

I don't want to get my food from a guy with 6 earings & a tongue stud.

I worked at Mickey Ds for one day. I was in high school in the late 50s and they had a mass hiring call just before they opened at 79th and Damen in Chicago. I lived about 2 blocks away. About 35 guys showed up (no females need apply). They had all of us peel spuds in a sandpaper revolving drum, cut them, work the grill, etc. They said that the starting pay would be $1.25/hour if I recall. Well they didn't need anywhere near 35 workers, so the manager phoned me that they were only hiring the first however many that showed up and they'd send me a check for the 6 hours I worked (trained). Never got the check in the mail and I got tired of going over there to get what was owed me ($7.50). The manager and Mickey D stiffed me.

Fast forward about 25 years and I am now the owner of North Shore Alarm Co. in the Chicago area. I get a call for an estimate for an alarm in a small warehouse on the north side. I show up and the place is jammed with books for engineers (I forget which kind). They were a specialized book distribution company. While the manager is showing me around, he tells me that the company is owned by none other than McDonalds. I said something like, "Get outta here." He showed me some papers that showed it actually was owned by McDonalds. I figured up the quote for the alarm to hand to the manager, but before I did, I added $7.50 to the bid. Wound up getting the job and getting justice after about 25 years. I should have added the interest due me, but figured I better not push it and not get the alarm job.

What the heck McDs was doing with a book distribution company is a puzzle I've never been able to figure out. I took the $7.50 and spent it at Burger King. Well, that may not be true, but the rest of the story is.

Good for you! Get back at the man.

I never had the "privelege" of working there. I was fortunate to have other opportumities thenwork FF.

Supposedly, a relatively high number of franchise owners are former employees. It's clearly not the norm, as one needs quite a bit of capital to open a McDonald's. But it must, at least a little bit, be apositive reflection on the company.

quote:

Originally posted by sk bob

I don't want to get my food from a guy with 6 earings & a tongue stud.

You should never, EVER look in the kitchens of a fair portion of Roadfood-type establishments.

quote:

Originally posted by felix4067

quote:

Originally posted by sk bob

I don't want to get my food from a guy with 6 earings & a tongue stud.

You should never, EVER look in the kitchens of a fair portion of Roadfood-type establishments.

LOL - so true!

*raises hand* I was also a mickey d's employee for a couple years... even made shift manager ... but I'm a bit more "tame" it sounds like.

but! I do remember the carl's jr across the street had guys with mohawks taking my familie's order one time and that was hilarious. my mom was about to freak out

I worked corporately for McD's from 67 to 69 or 70.

I had tremendous respect for the hourly employees. There were franchisees who would only hire A students. There were waiting lists of A students for jobs at McDonald's. McDonald's was the primo teenage job back then. Back then, if I were casting State Fair, I could cast all the extras behind the counter at the local McDonald's.

I especially admired the grill men - and they were always grill men at that time. Laying down sets of twelve patties on the six foot Wolf grill. A spatula in each hand, flipping six patties at a time - three per hand. Keeping track of multiple sets of twelve. There was no higher pride than that found in the lead grill man.

McDonald's restaurants back then were something special. Burgers ground fresh daily, twice fried fresh cut french fries, fresh made tartar sauce for the Filet O' Fish, special order burgers made to order fresh off the grill, ten minute holding times that didn't matter all that much because burgers turned over much quicker. Them were the days. Makes you realize how far McDonald's has fallen over the years.

I remember reading somewhere that McD's had the policy of putting "more" attractive employees on the register and, shall I say, "less" attractive employees (hidden) in the back cooking. Without revealing where YOU were sent to work, was (is) this true?

Not that I know of or observed. Then again, they stuck me in an office at the corner of LaSalle and Wacker (Chicago) far, far away from the front counter.

quote:

Originally posted by NYNM

I remember reading somewhere that McD's had the policy of putting "more" attractive employees on the register and, shall I say, "less" attractive employees (hidden) in the back cooking. Without revealing where YOU were sent to work, was (is) this true?

lol -- in some cases I wished it WERE true! but as a manager, no, this was never the policy. they have such a strict dresscode and require short hair, no facial hair, etc... with all that taken care of most of us humans look 1/2-way decent.

I interviewed for a job at Mac Donalds in highschool but refused to shave my beard or cut my hair also.....I didn't get the job.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

Supposedly, a relatively high number of franchise owners are former employees. It's clearly not the norm, as one needs quite a bit of capital to open a McDonald's. But it must, at least a little bit, be apositive reflection on the company.

Actually, all franchise owners are former employees. You need to work for a few years before they will hand you the keys.

I'm the GM of a hotel with about 100 employees. I wish we could get applicants through the background and drug checks, over 60% of them fail one or the other.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Rushmore Jr.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

Supposedly, a relatively high number of franchise owners are former employees. It's clearly not the norm, as one needs quite a bit of capital to open a McDonald's. But it must, at least a little bit, be apositive reflection on the company.

Actually, all franchise owners are former employees. You need to work for a few years before they will hand you the keys.

Back in my day, when hamburgers were 15 cents and "quality, service cleanliness" meant something, the only requirement for franchisees, experience-wise, was that they graduated from Hamburger University - no prior McD employment required. Perhaps that has changed - though considering the wages paid by McDonald's and the cost of a franchise, the employee would need to put in a lot of overtime.

I worked for Micky D's several times over my 20's in a couple states (NY, OH) - this would be 20+ years ago - lol. I was one of the few girls to work the grill at these places and I was darn good at it! But one thing I hated was the cleanup and breakdown of all the machines at close. We did get paid but I will NEVER forget the time I was basically alone closing the entire place - grill, shake machine, fryers, dishes, etc (and long before we had dishwashers!!). Oh, there was a manager, he stayed in his office for the most part and 2 others had called in sick. I kicked a** that night, and got a coupon for a free McDLT as a thank you! wow. I didn't even like those things.