McDonald's sets the standards

Caterers who believe they are saving money by slashing training budgets have got their sums wrong, according to new research by Leeds Metropolitan University.

The university studied the costs and benefits of training at McDonald's, which Professor Conrad Lashley described as: "a benchmark organisation in its consistent, well-worked-out approach to training". The chain trains all staff, including part-timers, and makes line managers rather than human resources responsible for training and monitoring.

"McDonald's and others in the [fast food] sector are setting standards in their approach to training which reflects in their growth and turnover," said Lashley. "Other hospitality organisations can't afford to be left out and must seriously consider the benefits of training."

The university found training boosted productivity, customer service, staff satisfaction scores and flexibility. Staff stay longer, waste is less, and there are fewer accidents.

Although training costs £500-£600for a new recruit at McDonald's, staff who are trained make many more transactions and so earn more money for the company.

Lashley said only 25% of hospitality firms trained all their staff, and most training was solely to meet statutory standards for food handling and health and safety.