Pixabay / Quartzla
McDonald’s just became the first major fast-food chain and global corporation to incentivize employees getting the coronavirus vaccine. Never mind the fact that the vast majority of everyone on the planet who wants the vaccine can’t get the vaccine yet, McDonald’s is still letting employees know that when they get it they’ll be handsomely rewarded and all of their wildest dreams will come true.
That is, assuming their ‘wildest dreams’ is four measly hours of paid time off. The average hourly pay of a McDonald’s worker ranges from $8.24 to $17.89 so four hours of PTO is not nothing, but it’s not exactly a game-changer. For most of the last year, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that Walmart and Target should offer $20+ coupons/gift cards to anyone who gets the vaccine there and this seems to be parallel thinking.
McDondald’s isn’t going to make it mandatory for all employees to get the vaccine and this applies to CORPORATE-OWNED RESTAURANTS. That sounds complicated. So their plan is to dangle some PTO in front of everyone’s eyes and see if they’ll take the bait. Tiffanie Boyd, US Chief People Officer for McDonald’s USA, released this statement regarding McDonald’s new program:
“Vaccination is essential in the fight against the pandemic, and we are actively encouraging McDonald’s employees to take this important step. We will provide four hours of paid time to crew at McDonald’s corporate-owned US restaurants and to US corporate employees who receive the vaccine,”
“Ensuring widespread availability and access to the vaccine will require extraordinary partnerships between businesses, governments and community and health organizations, and we’re engaging with government officials and our partners to understand where McDonald’s can further support this work.” (via Fox News)
You definitely know the system is working when you have one of the largest corporations on the entire planet incentivizing its employees to get the coronavirus vaccine by dangling four extra hours of paid time off (PTO). All PTO is good PTO and everyone on the planet should take advantage of all the PTO they get, especially after the past year when going on vacations has been virtually impossible.
According to Fox News, the CDC has distributed 49,936,450 doses and administered 32,222,402 doses of coronavirus vaccine so far. The USA just passed an important milestone this week. There are now more people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine than there are people who have tested positive for covid-19. It’s an early milestone but one that gives people reason to be hopeful, just like 4 hours of PTO…