My first job after graduating from college was working as a McDonald’s server for two years. My experience at the restaurant taught me many valuable life lessons, including the importance of patience, hard work and a good work ethic. Now, more than 30 years later, I am proud to serve in the human resources department as a part of an organization committed to a culture of values and diversity.
Like every McDonald’s restaurant, my job is to create a positive culture and provide an enjoyable, sustainable experience for our customers. In our restaurants, we believe in creating personal connections with everyone we serve. We make an effort to recognize employees who show their appreciation for our work with an appropriate token.
This includes handing out gifts or special service coupons to customers who interact with us frequently in our restaurants. One of our favorite ways to acknowledge a customer’s appreciation is our annual celebration of employees at the two McDonald’s restaurants in Davao City.
Now, as I approach 40 years of service with McDonald’s and career more than 21 years at McDonald’s Philippines, I am excited to share with you that this year I will stand for election as president of McDonald’s Philippines. In 2021, I will continue to serve this organization as its president and CEO.
The key priorities for McDonald’s in our 24th anniversary year are to create the conditions that lead to a high quality experience for customers, and to continue to serve the highest standards of food quality in our restaurants.
To put a greater focus on our customers, we will continue to invest in hiring more loyal and dedicated McDonald’s employees, by providing incentives, training and support to develop talent for all of our restaurants. This is important, because it provides the best value to our customers, especially our customers who are less fortunate.
Additionally, we’re committed to ensuring that our restaurants achieve a consistent standard of safety for our employees and customers through McDonald’s Global Code of Practice.
I also will continue to serve our customers and our employees by investing in our environment, which includes conserving energy and resources and being a responsible global citizen.
Lastly, we’re a company that is always looking for opportunities to introduce new employees into the McDonald’s system. We’re currently training 20,000 restaurant employees to learn how to use the new kiosks, which will make food ordering faster and easier. This training initiative highlights the important role our franchisees play in making sure that their employees are ready for success as McDonald’s employees.
In the coming year, we plan to make more announcements regarding our community outreach and volunteer efforts, on behalf of our franchisees, our organization and our customers. I also look forward to sharing more about our workforce development efforts, including an update on our employees’ training and development program.
As I look toward the future, I hope to help make McDonald’s the foundation of our local communities in and around this country, where our food is safe, and where our employees have the opportunity to be valuable members of their communities.
Have a safe and happy Labor Day!