Discuss the process of matching labor power to consumer demand at McDonald’s. What effect does this have on workers?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

McDonald’s pays all crew people by the hour, giving them highly irregular hours based on expected sales and sending workers home early or keeping them late as conditions require. In other words, the costs of uneven demand are shifted to workers whenever possible. Since most McDonald’s crew people cannot count on working a particular number of hours at precisely scheduled times, it is hard for them to make plans based on how much money they will earn or exactly what times they will be free. Workers are pressured to be flexible in order to maximize the organization’s own flexibility in staffing levels. Workers are often demanding and stressful. Under these working conditions, the organization’s limited commitment to workers, as reflected in job security, wages, and benefits, makes the task of maintaining worker motivation and discipline even more challenging.