McDonald's pilots family job-share in UK

Fast-food chain McDonald's is trialling a flexible working scheme in the UK that will allow employees to share their job with family members.

Called the Family Contract, it will allow husbands, wives, grandparents and children aged over 16 to switch shifts without needing to inform management.

The scheme, aimed at cutting absenteeism and improving staff retention, is being piloted at six locations around Britain.

If successful, McDonald's may extend the job-sharing scheme to friends and more distant family members, such as cousins.

The hamburger chain said it was an intiative to introduce more flexible work patterns. It hopes the job-share will encourage people to become fully trained and "rotatable".

Do you think this scheme will be successful for McDonald's? Could it work for other hospitality and catering operators? Click here to have your say in a BBC opinion poll on the subject.

By Angela Frewin