Amanda Wilson is connecting thousands of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – News) crew employees across North America in her new role as the resident blogger on StationM, McDonald’s online crew community. StationM has more than 13,000 registered users who comment and rate each post on the site’s blog, upload pictures on the photo wall, and have easy access to news and information about McDonald’s.
“At McDonald’s, we care about our employees and greatly value their input on how we operate our business and fit into their lives,” says George Hradecky, StationM Program Manager. “StationM offers a forum for crew to share their views and communicate with each other in a way that is relevant to them.”
Wilson, a McDonald’s restaurant manager in Canada, was recently selected by the company’s restaurant employees through an online vote to be the site’s resident blogger for the year. As one of its most active members since its launch, the distinction was bestowed upon the 20-year-old from Okotoks, Alberta, Canada who garnered the most support among her peers after submitting a video entry highlighting why she felt compelled to serve as moderator for this unique social network.
While she will remain a key contributor in her day-to-day responsibilities as restaurant manager, her new role includes sharing news about the McDonald’s system, celebrating the achievements of restaurant staff, fielding questions related to different departments and functions within the company, sharing best practices with regards to customer service and soliciting crew input to foster a new level of engagement and strengthen the sense of community among employees.
Wilson recently returned from McDonald’s home office in Oak Brook, Illinois, where she started training for her role. During her visit, Wilson was given a tour of McDonald’s test kitchen by the company’s own Chef Daniel (Dan) Coudreaut, where she learned about ingredients, flavors and the process of creating menu items from concept to marketplace. She also toured McDonald’s Innovation Center where she learned how menu items are tested and deployed throughout McDonald’s restaurants around the world and she was given insight on some of the new technology and equipment McDonald’s is looking at to further operational efficiencies, in their restaurants.
