• McDonald’s unveils major study into the world of work among 4,000 UK adults aged 16 and above and 1,000 McDonald’s employees across the UK

• Research suggests creating jobs that fit around people’s lives will be key to tackling employment challenges in ever tightening labour market

New research released today by McDonald’s UK, reveals more than half of NI adults want to move away from traditional 9–5 working patterns, and into jobs that prioritise flexibility and enable them to prioritise commitments outside of work.

As one of the largest employers in the UK with a multigenerational workforce of more than 120,000 people, McDonald’s has worked with YouGov to conduct a study to better understand working lives in the UK today and how this will shift in the future.

Shifting working patterns

Jobs that offer earlier starts and a shorter working week are most appealing to job seekers; with only 7% of NI adults working the traditional ‘9–5’

• More than half of people in Northern Ireland (59%) in full–time employment would like to start earlier than 9am and finish earlier than 5pm

• Starting at 8am and finishing by 4pm was the most popular option chosen by 34% of NI respondents

• If given the option, just under half of NI adults (44%) would prefer to work a longer day in return for a shorter working week

Social workplaces, proximity to home and pay top priorities

People want to work closer to home with jobs that allow them to juggle commitments outside work:

• High pay tops the criteria for ‘good jobs’ (66%), closely followed by sociable and friendly workplace and flexibility to work the hours and patterns that suit them (65%)

• Flexibility is an everyday part of working life, with 71% of people in NI wanting to work flexibly in one form or another, such as job sharing or compressed hours

• Flexibility is important to people of all ages and life stages, with four in five parents 73% and students (32%) stating that flexible working allows them to juggle work with family commitments and studying 

• 8 in 10 people in NI (80%) would like to work more flexibly in the future whilst 73% say it encourages them to stay in a job for longer and improves their motivation levels (55%). 66% of NI workers say it would improve their wellbeing and satisfaction at work

• However, barriers remain. Over a quarter of NI workers (28%) don’t believe their employer would let them work flexibly

Views from McDonald’s employees

A survey of 1,000 McDonald’s employees supports the findings in Northern Ireland. Working in a social workplace topped their priorities (58%), closely followed by the flexibility to work hours that suit them (52%). The ability to develop new skills, such as team work and communications skills, was also a key factor for over half (51%).

Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald’s UK & Ireland, commented:

“People are looking for jobs that work for them. This research reflects our belief that to attract, retain and motivate, employers need to create opportunities that genuinely work for people whatever their age, life stage, or ambition. The business case is clear, as are the links to improved happiness and wellbeing – people simply don’t want to work 9–5 anymore. They want to work more flexibly, but that doesn’t diminish ambition, desire or opportunity to progress,

“We will continue to create jobs that suit different lifestyles and life stages, whether it’s parents looking to fit a job around family commitments, a student looking to earn some extra money at the weekend or someone looking to stay with us, progress and take advantage of the training we offer.  We will also continue to talk to our people to ensure we understand what works for them. We hire on qualities not qualifications and will continue to offer people a choice between fixed and flexible contracts; as our people have told us they want to make the decision for themselves and choose what works for them.”

–ENDS–

Media enquiries:

AIKEN – Claire Aiken or Caroline Murphy on 02890663000 or caroline@aikenpr.com

About McDonald’s UK:

McDonald’s currently operates over 1,270 restaurants across the UK, serving more than 3.7 million customers every day. In Northern Ireland McDonald’s has 29 restaurants all of which are owned and operated by six franchisees employing 2,300 staff.

Further information on research:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 500 adults from Northern Ireland. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th – 31st July 2018.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 16+).