McDworker: In my store I think my manager is the greatest, he respects me and we hang out with eachother sometimes {which is a McD no-no...Managers are not supposed/allowed to be friends with crew} I know that if he were to quit, I would too in a flash....Flint: This is interesting. Not unusual, but very interesting. I'm wondering if the policy against friendship between management and employees is standard throughout McDonald's, just a matter of Corporate policy with some franchises not complying, or simply an oddity of McDworker's store. So, lets here some feed back... Mike? Gill? Is this the policy at your stores?
I'm asking because I think there are (like everything else) good and bad reasons for it. An easy excuse is that by disallowing friendship between management and staff you get to avoid romantic entanglements and various sexual harrassments suits. I assume its better to just prohibit something in the corporate world, than have to deal with all the messy emotions and relationships that make people, people.
Though, I wonder if this prohibition against friendship has a bit more
sinster motive of keeping management and crew divided. The same way that some stores won't let management help crew work counter or grill during a rush. For management to be obeyed, they must constantly justify their superiority for staff to follow their arbitrary orders. However, friends aren't superior to one another... they are equals; do you boss your friends around? Do they boss you around? Not if you expect a friendship to last, its about free association and sharing. Work, isn't about either of those things.
There is such a thing as friendly management. Back when I was telemarketing, we had a very friendly manager, and she had one of the highest producing teams on the floor. She encouraged us, but let us work at our own pace and favored the carrot over the stick. I found out about a year after I left that job that she had been fired for being too friendly with her workers.
I'm also curious about any anti-friendship policies that exist between staff as well. Likewise back on the telemarketing job, I met the love of my life, and we worked quite a few jobs together after we left that one. Still going strong into our 4th year (and yes, she's a Wobbly too!) Had I been a big follower of corporate policy, I doubt I'd have the happiness I currently enjoy.
Thoughts?
Why doesn't Ronald McDonald want you to play with your Fellow Workers?
Solid,
Flint
