Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Application to McDonald's

Introduction

• Motivated employees are crucial for productivity and morale.
• This presentation explores Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a theory of motivation with examples from McDonald’s.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• 1943: Abraham Maslow publishes "A Theory of Human Motivation".
  • Identifies 5 basic human needs in a particular order.
  • Culminates in self-actualisation, achieving full human potential.
• Needs: Physiological, Safety, Social, Esteem, and Self-Actualisation.
• Must satisfy lower-level needs to progress to higher-level ones.

Application to McDonald’s

Physiological Needs

• Examples:
  • Free meals at work.
  • Free uniforms.
  • Minimum wage for affordability outside work.

Safety Needs

• Examples:
  • Pension schemes.
  • Guaranteed holiday and sick pay.
  • Flexible scheduling for a better work-life balance.
  • "McStrike" in 2019: Protest for higher wages and guaranteed hours.

Social Needs

• Examples:
  • People development strategies.
  • Learning and development opportunities.
  • Clear team structures and positive relationships.

Esteem Needs

• Examples:
  • Performance reviews and annual pay review.
  • Recognition schemes, e.g., "Employee of the Month".
  • Service Awards for long-term employees.

Self-Actualisation

• Examples:
  • Promotion opportunities.
  • Job enrichment and additional responsibilities.
• Notable: 90% of McDonald's Managers started as crew members.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Maslow's Theory

Advantages

• Straightforward and logical model.
• Accounts for human nature and the correlation between needs, wants, and motivation.

Disadvantages

• Human complexity: Not all employees are motivated by the same factors.
• Difficulty in measuring which stage an employee is at.

Conclusion

• Understanding individual motivation is key.
• Not all employees are motivated by money or progression opportunities.