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Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How McDonald's is inspiring workers
In today's competitive job market, finding, engaging, and retaining top talent is one of the main challenges keeping CEOs and business leaders awake at night. Ten years ago, recognizing that employees now look for jobs offering flexibility and personal growth along with competitive compensation, McDonald's and its independent franchisees (which own around 95% of McDonald's restaurants in the United States) introduced the Archways to Opportunity program. Restaurant employees can earn a high school diploma, work toward a college degree, enroll in degree, training, and certificate programs at accredited schools, or improve their English skills — all while earning a paycheck. And they get academic and career guidance whenever they need it. The program has been an unqualified success — both for McDonald's franchisees, which have used it to cultivate a skilled, loyal workforce, and for their employees, who appreciate the ability to earn and learn simultaneously. Among the longtime McDonald's franchise employees profiled below, a common word used to explain their passion and loyalty to their local franchisee is 'family.' In the case of Scarlett Morris, all four of her family members work for McDonald's restaurants. For Michael Shackleford, McDonald's restaurants were a port in the storm during some of his darkest days. And for Jennifer Carter — who grew up in foster care — her McDonald's coworkers became her surrogate family. In the second installment of a three-part series, here are the stories of how Archways to Opportunity helped these individuals unleash their full potential and inspired them to encourage their McDonald's teammates to do the same. Turning Golden Arches into golden opportunities For Scarlett Morris and her family, earning and learning with McDonald's has become a way of life. Scarlett hopes she and her husband Chris, shown here with their Colorado Technical University diplomas, will be role models for their kids. Living on her own since 17, Scarlett Morris started with her local McDonald's in 2003 as a crew member to support herself and her daughter, Emma. 'McDonald's is a good first job, because we tune into your strengths,' Scarlett said. In her case, those include strong people skills and an interest in empowering her fellow employees. She rapidly progressed into management roles, eventually becoming the people and development lead for 10 restaurants. Along the way, Scarlett met an ambitious coworker, Chris, and they've now been married for over 20 years. Together, they had busy full-time jobs — Chris is director of operations for 10 franchises — while raising Emma, now 20, and their son, Jackson, 15, in College Station, Texas. Their goal is to own their own McDonald's franchise one day. But because of their work and family demands, they had neither the time nor money to return to school and pursue their passions. For Scarlett, that was human resources. For Chris, it was technology. When Emma was a high school junior in 2022, Scarlett decided to take advantage of McDonald's Archways to Opportunity program and pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration, with a focus in HR management — her courses were online and fully paid for by Archways — from Colorado Technical University. For the Morris family (from left: Emma, Scarlett, Chris, and Jackson), working at their local McDonald's is more than just a job; it has become a way of life. Two years later, her dream became a reality — times three. In a trio of Archways-inspired milestones, Scarlett and Chris both graduated from CTU in May 2024 (Chris also got a bachelor's in business administration, with a focus on information technology), just as Emma was completing her freshman year at nearby Texas A&M University. Thanks to tuition assistance, Emma — who is now the restaurant people department leader at her local McDonald's — can afford to work 30 hours a week instead of 40, so her grades don't suffer. 'Her work experience, paired with that degree — she's going to be leaps and bounds ahead of many of her classmates,' Scarlett said. Scarlett immediately put the knowledge and skills developed while pursuing her degree to use. 'I was able to take what they were teaching me and turn it into a real-life scenario at work,' Scarlett said. 'We want to make this franchise the best it can be for as long as possible.' Looking to the future, Scarlett and Chris dream of having their own franchise, or 'our own little 'McFamily,'' as they call it. 'We want to use Archways to help our people, encourage them, and propel them on their journey,' Scarlett said. 'The Archways program is a blessing, and I'm grateful for it.' Finding hope at the end of the road 'Archways to Opportunity brought out the good in me I couldn't find for myself,' Michael Shackleford said. Michael Shackleford (pictured with his wife Nicole) receiving his associate degree in Colorado. 'I was able to walk the stage for the first time in my life.' At Michael Shackleford's lowest point in life, he was homeless, foraging through trash cans for food, and eating snow. 'I was at a bus stop and noticed the clean snow beneath dirty footprints,' said Shackleford, who was expelled from school in seventh grade and later struggled with addiction. 'It hit me at a moment in my dirty life that below the muck I will find a clean slate.' Today, Shackleford is the safety and security manager in charge of loss prevention and risk management for the 22 McDonald's locations in South Carolina and Georgia that are owned and operated by his boss, John Ritchey Jr. What led to such a remarkable transformation? McDonald's. It's been an incredible journey, starting with Shackleford's first job sweeping bathrooms and taking out trash 33 years ago. (His older brother Robert was the general manager of a local McDonald's franchise who hired him to keep him out of trouble.) Fast-forward to July 2024, when — with financial and emotional support from McDonald's and its franchisees' Archways to Opportunity program and the skills he honed as a McDonald's employee — Shackleford, then 47, received an associate degree in business administration, with highest honors, from Colorado Technical University. 'I would tell my younger self, 'Thank you for not dying and for not giving up.'' He came close to doing both. In a quest to figure out where he belonged, Shackleford spent most of the 1990s traveling from state to state on a Greyhound bus. At each stop — Delaware, Virginia, New York — he'd get a job at a McDonald's restaurant, just to be able to eat. He hit bottom in March 1999, after eight months of sleeping in a church every night. On April 1, the date he'll always remember as his turning point, he decided it was time to go home. What happened after is the stuff of made-for-TV movies. At a family gathering the week after his return to Andrews, South Carolina, Shackleford met and fell for a woman named Nicole, who was visiting from Delaware. It turned out she lived in one of the towns he'd stopped at during his Greyhound days. A three-day trip to Delaware in June sealed the deal. 'I remember sitting on the bus crying all the way back home,' Shackleford said. 'In that moment, it felt like a new beginning.' By August, he had moved to Delaware, and by November, he and Nicole were married. (They celebrated 25 years of marriage last year.) Because of his prior experience, Shackleford was hired as a swing manager at a local McDonald's franchise and has been working his way through the ranks ever since. After graduating at the top of his class from Hamburger University — McDonald's' training program for high-potential managers and owner-operators — Shackleford contemplated going to college. He did so in 2021 after learning about Archways to Opportunity, which allowed him to attend CTU online, while still working, and earn his degree — for free. According to Ritchey, his organization's investment in Shackleford has paid off many times. 'His confidence went up tenfold, and his determination towards a result has also increased,' Ritchey said. 'He's a man on a mission now, and it shows in his results. He is having a great time positively impacting our whole company.' Shackleford doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. He's now just 40 credits shy of earning a bachelor's degree in business administration from CTU, with a current GPA of 3.71. He devotes equal energy to inspiring his coworkers to fully develop their potential. That mindset benefits everybody. 'Not only does he lead by example,' Ritchey said, 'he is the most fantastic cheerleader we have for everyone who wants to achieve anything in the organization.' 'It's hard to beat someone who won't give up.' The odds of success are stacked against former foster youth like Jennifer Carter. But she found the secret to beating the odds. Jennifer Carter uses her master's degree training in social work to help her colleagues thrive. At just 19 years old, Jennifer Carter aged out of the foster care system she'd grown up in since age 3 and was awarded temporary custody of her two younger siblings. In her words, Carter described that transition to adulthood as 'challenging.' She didn't have the support or guidance she needed to accomplish basic tasks like filling out her taxes or paying the bills, much less continuing her education. So, after a semester of community college, Carter took a break to focus on work — she'd been a crew member at a local McDonald's restaurant since she was 16 — and complete the steps necessary to care for her brother and sister. 'I had to move and buy all kinds of furniture to show they had a place to stay,' Carter said. 'And since it was a boy and a girl, they had to have separate rooms.' The silver lining through all the rough times? Her innate tenacity — and her work family at her local McDonald's. 'They helped me when I was struggling,' Carter said. 'Even if my problem wasn't work related, they'd say, 'This is what you need to do.'' That came in handy when Carter — who'd become a restaurant manager before she turned 20 — decided to continue her lifelong learning journey after finding out about Archways to Opportunity. Hopeful that the skills she'd learned at work would equip her to do better at college the second time around, Carter started by taking a couple classes to get her feet wet. As it turned out, Carter said, 'All the things I learned at McDonald's — how to be organized, how to take great notes, how to deal with people — had prepared me better than all the high school I'd attended and workshops I'd had in foster care.' Archways to Opportunity enabled Carter to complete college with associate and bachelor's degrees in sociology at Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in social work, with a focus on social change and innovation, at the University of Southern California. She achieved this, with honors, while juggling her job and taking care of her growing family: In 2023, she got married (her husband, Nathan, is an independent McDonald's franchisee with seven restaurants) and the couple now has three young children: Jayden, Jaxtyn, and Juliana. Nathan and Jennifer Carter brought sons Jayden (left) and Jaxtyn to a work event in Spain, before daughter Juliana was born. Now, she wants to put all that learning back into the Southern California community where she lives and works. For instance, she's trying to develop a program that helps connect foster care youth with job opportunities at her restaurants. 'The thing I love about McDonald's versus social work is that I can walk in a community and offer people a job,' Carter explained. 'A lot of people come in with challenges I had when I was younger. And I get to say, 'Hey, it's OK to get help. Here are some places you can go that have programs.' I assist firsthand with those resources.' This is why, after all her education, Carter — who is now an operations supervisor — has chosen to stay at her local McDonald's, rather than become a social worker. 'I don't hand off cases to different people and move on,' she said. 'I try to reflect on the challenges I had when I first started, and what kind of support I can provide. I love that I can be part of somebody's story and make a difference.' McDonald's and Stand Together are working to advance principles that help people unlock their potential in the workplace. Learn more about Stand Together's efforts to transform the future of work and explore ways you can partner with us.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Canada's BMO will require employees to return to office four days a week
June 26 (Reuters) - Canada's Bank of Montreal ( opens new tab is calling employees back to the office four days a week starting September 15, it said on Thursday, following a similar move by peer Royal Bank of Canada ( opens new tab. The new directive will apply where office space permits, Bank of Montreal said. After years of embracing flexible work arrangements in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are now pushing for a return to the office, arguing it strengthens in-person collaboration. The financial industry has been more aggressive than the rest. JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), opens new tab, the largest U.S. bank, has started requiring employees to return to the office five days a week. Bank of Montreal had nearly 54,000 employees as of last year.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Don't Let Your Best Employees Leave—Negotiate Smarter, Not Harder
If there is a superstar employee you're committed to retaining, money simply isn't enough. Employment is a transactional relationship. The question is: Will you have the imagination to negotiate fair and compelling deals with your superstars, or not?Money is, by its nature, interchangeable. Custom work conditions most certainly are not. If money is the primary currency you have for negotiating with talent, it is very easy for your employees to measure it against deals offered elsewhere. And more is always need to start by focusing on the work that needs to be done. Examine every task and responsibility. Then ask: What aspects of completing these tasks and responsibilities cannot be changed? Which aspects can be changed?Not everything can be customized, but it doesn't have to be. When managers set about this process, some aspects of a person's job are revealed to be flexible, while others are not. The job may seem as if it cannot be customized to meet a superstar's particular requests. In such cases, managers should unbundle the package of requirements that currently make up the job, rearrange those elements, and make a new package. If a person is willing to continue working for you, for example, but only from home, you may have to adjust that person's role so that it consists only of tasks that can be done from is rarely necessary to customize 100% of every dimension of the work to retain a valuable, high-performing employee. Typically, it is enough to focus on one or two factors that really matter to them. If the employee has a child that sometimes requires that person to be at home, the question is: Can that person be granted enough scheduling flexibility that those at-home days don't compromise their success at work? A small adjustment can have a tremendous the customization a person wants has to do with specific tasks. One person hates database work, while another loves it. The right match between a person's interests and their work can make the difference between a job that is 'just a job' and one that is worthy of their very best these 8 factors when negotiating The goal is to make the value you offer to high performers very difficult for another employer to match. These are the eight non-financial factors people care the most about: 1. Performance-based compensation: How much is baseline pay and benefits? Are they comparable to your competition? Are there clearly defined opportunities to earn more based on extra-mile effort and results?2. Supportive leadership: Is there an immediate manager who provides regular guidance, support, and direction? Will they make expectations clear, provide regular feedback and recognition?3. Role and responsibilities: What is the nature of the actual work itself? Is it difficult, repetitive, or tedious? Or, is it interesting and valuable? Is it mission driven? Does it have positive, meaningful results?4. Location and workspace: Is the work done in a particular place in a specific geography? Or can the work be done from anywhere? Sometime? All of the time? If there is a particular place, is it pleasant?5. Scheduling flexibility: Is the job full-time, extra time? Or is it part-time, flex time? Is there any ability to set one's own schedule? Occasional scheduling accommodations?6. Training and development: Are there formal and informal opportunities to build new, relevant knowledge and skills? Is there a chance to become a deep subject matter expert? Or to build a wide repertoire?7. Relationships at work: Is the workplace welcoming and inclusive? Are there opportunities to build productive and mutually supportive working relationships with colleagues, leaders, clients, or decision makers?8. Autonomy and creative freedom: Is it clear what exactly is up to employees, and what is not? What is required in every job? What is allowed? Where do employees have discretion in how they complete their work?No doubt, some employees will have needs that cannot be met. It's ok. You can't please everybody. But so often, you can. Even the slightest accommodations can have immeasurable value if they manage to retain the most indispensable members of your team.
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Return-To-Office With Mental Health In Mind: Balancing Flexibility With Structure
The goal of returning to the office is to cultivate an environment where employees can thrive, both mentally and professionally. This means striking a balance between the structure of in-office work and the autonomy of flexible schedules. COVID-19 undeniably shifted the way we work. As we navigate this new phase, where more of us have returned to the office full- or part-time, it's crucial that those in leadership approach the return to a physical workspace with empathy and a deep understanding of its impact on our employees' well-being. When we first began considering a return, it was during a period of immense change, not just within Calm but across the globe. Like many companies, we had embraced remote work, and for a time, it seemed like the new normal. A study by the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics showed this new normal led to lower job turnover and great employee satisfaction. However, a desire for more in-person connection and collaboration began to emerge, at least from my perspective. This wasn't a sudden shift, but rather a gradual realization that while flexibility was paramount, so too was the energy and synergy that can come from being physically together. Our approach at Calm has been rooted in continuous dialogue within the company. We recognized early on that there wouldn't be a one-size-fits-all solution. Every company is different, with its own unique culture, size, and employee needs. What works for a small startup might not be feasible for a large corporation, and vice versa. Even within Calm, we understood that individual preferences and circumstances varied greatly. During the height of the pandemic, our San Francisco office was the central hub, with around 80 percent of our employees based there. However, as remote work became the norm, we saw a significant shift, with the majority of our workforce moving away from the Bay Area. In fact, an Economist article pointed to the flexibility afforded by remote work that began during the pandemic as altering the housing market as people moved farther from expensive cities where companies were located to suburbs and beyond. However, this kind of shift presented us with a fundamental challenge: How do we foster connection and collaboration when our team is geographically dispersed? We considered several scenarios, ranging from a full return to the office, mimicking companies like some larger entities, to remaining fully remote. We also explored various hybrid models. Ultimately, through trial and error, we landed on a hub strategy. We established smaller offices in areas with high talent density, including New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and London, in addition to our location in the Bay Area. Another key difference is that we don't force employees to come in on specific days. Our conversations revealed that if someone came to the office simply to Zoom from their desk, it negated the very purpose of being there. We wanted to understand the goal behind encouraging in-office work. For us, it came down to building on our culture and fostering better teamwork. My leadership philosophy, shaped by my experiences in previous companies, initially leaned towards bringing everyone together. Whether it was a team of three, three hundred, or eight thousand, being physically present was the only model I had truly known. However, I believe that COVID and the acceleration of technology have fundamentally changed how we work. The traditional 9-to-5 desk job is becoming a relic of the past. As an employer, we must adapt to these changes. I've spoken with peers across various industries about the return to the office. What's striking is the diversity of opinions and experiences. There's no single right answer, and what works for one organization might not work for another (though firm, five-day-a-week returns seem to face a backlash in the job market). It's also important to remember that the experience of working remotely during the pandemic was not universal. While many white-collar workers had the privilege of working from home, the majority of the workforce in other sectors still had to show up, facing their own unique mental health challenges. Front-line workers reported significant issues of burnout, for example. Interestingly, American and British cultures have embraced this new reality more than, say, South Korea. Researchers attribute this to our more individualistic society, where we give employees more autonomy than in collectivist cultures. Ultimately, our goal is to cultivate an environment where employees can thrive, both mentally and professionally. This means striking a balance between the structure of in-office work and the autonomy of flexible schedules. We want to emphasize choice, control, and mental resilience. For those who continue to work remotely, we encourage the creation of dedicated workspaces and a focus on the quality of work over mere hours spent. I personally found that creating a space that mimics elements of an office environment helps with focus. Leading a more remote workforce has, in fact, made me a better leader. It has forced our organization to be more disciplined and prescriptive in defining our mission, values, and goals. Communication has become paramount. Without hallway conversations, we've had to be much clearer and more intentional in our interactions. As we continue on this journey, our focus remains on fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where mental well-being is a priority. The return to the office is not just a logistical challenge; it's an opportunity to reimagine how we work and to build a culture that supports the holistic health of every member of our team.
