MCDONALD’S Philippines has supersized its employee experience with a monthslong program known as “Salamuch Crew,” both a literal and figurative way of saying thank you to its workforce.
The initiative started back in November 2023 and finally culminated in its National Salamuch Crew Day on Wednesday, April 17.
At the launch, McDonald’s Philippines deployed 10 IG-worthy walls in select Metro Manila stores, as well as a Virtual Padlet wall for online thank-you notes.
“Nakakatuwa po na mabasa ‘yung mga results or ‘yung mga thank-you messages that we found across the different touchpoints from the walls to the boxes to the online Padlet,” said Adi Hernandez, Assistant Vice President for Corporate Relations & Impact, McDonald’s Philippines.
Spreading the love through notes, McDonald’s Philippines further sustained the campaign by delivering 100 dropboxes for collecting goods at various stores in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in 2024’s first quarter.
“There were cute, heartwarming stories about how a crew member made their day, or simple acts done by our crew that made their McDonald’s visit even more special,” Hernandez added.
Finally, the restaurant chain kept the party going with a nationwide celebration on April 17 to culminate “Salamuch Crew” efforts. Here, its crew enjoyed treats, free food, lots of prizes, and other fun stuff in store through dedicated mini-parties.
A million thanks
According to McDonald’s Philippines, its latest initiative is simply its “responsibility” to reward the employees who made its aggressive growth possible. The fast food giant opened 50 stores locally in 2023, a figure it hopes to top with 60 new locations annually in 2024 and beyond.
Finishing last year with 740 stores all over the country, McDonald’s Philippines has since documented over 60,000 employees, of which 59,000 alone are crew.
“Of course, with more stores that are opening means there are more people opening more employment opportunities for young Filipinos, especially for the crew,” Hernandez said.
Speaking of “young Filipinos,” an overwhelming portion of the McDonald’s Philippines family consists of Gen Zs at 95 percent.
“Because they are Gen Z, these are working students. They balance the challenges of school life while working. There’s so much to be thankful for all their hard work,” Hernandez said.
In turn, the company wants to say “Salamuch” to its crew, especially by giving its clientele base the same opportunity to show their appreciation.
Just as significant, according to Hernandez, is the habit of making one’s appreciation become felt across the McDonald’s Philippines family.
“It is important internally that we are able to build a culture of gratitude among the workforce. Meaning crew saying thank you to fellow crew. Managers saying thank you to fellow managers. Again, to encourage or have that culture of gratitude and really uplifting the morale to have a better employee experience inside the stores,” she said.