careers


Mark Reilly tells Peter Williams about corporate learning at McDonald’s Restaurants


A job like mine T


hree decades ago Mark Reilly joined restaurant company McDonald’s. He still works for the company. Those thirty years have been a tale of promotion


and hugely varied roles. He is currently in his fourth year as head of corporate training. The role is responsible for the strategy and design of learning; talent interventions; the McDonald’s university which delivers a core leadership curriculum to restaurant and corporate management teams; and for the company’s own degree programme which it runs in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). Now in its seventh year – and according to Reilly getting stronger each year – the degree programme combines work-based learning with academic study. Reilly says: “These graduates are some of our business managers in charge of restaurants turning over up to £2 million with a staff of up to 70. They are doing a full time job as well as studying.” Reilly says that the study is based in their reality meaning the managers can apply what they learn to the business to improve results. He says one of the great attributes of learning is that it improves confidence with a payback that they become better in their role.


In general in McDonald’s the emphasis is on a


blended approach to L&D enabled by a strong use of technology which allows Reilly and his small team of eight (with a further 16 in the deployment team) to deliver learning to the 1,250 restaurants in the UK (of which two-thirds are franchises) and over 100,000 workforce. Technology works for Reilly because – apart from replacing the printed workbook that used to dominate – it guarantees consistency and it responds to the learner needs of the 85% of the workforce which is under 25. This approach saw success in the 2014 E-Learning Awards where a till training game won gold in the Best Learning game, simulation or virtual environment. The judges recognised the training was more efficient and cost effective than the traditional shoulder-to-shoulder approach but more than that it was fun, engaging and achieved a clear and ongoing business impact as it spread virally around the business. The corporate learning team design the learning while it is the responsibility of the local management to deliver. Reilly says the learning has to be as simple


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Mark Reilly: long and successful one-company career


as possible to deliver, manage and track The next challenge – which Reilly will see on his return from sabbatical – is the training design for the restaurant transformational programme which will digitalise the experience for customers by giving the option to order at tills, kiosks and eventually via an app and with their food being prepared and made to order. Reilly describes it as a massive platform on the cusp of being rolled out requiring a shift to be very responsive to customer flow, changing the way the restaurant operates and how staff engage with customers.


Reilly says he is not alone among McDonald’s


colleagues in enjoying a long and successful one- company career. He says that one of the reasons he has stayed is because the business encourages people to move around and gain business wide experience. After working in a McDonald’s restaurant during university he stayed on after he completed his degree and then the promotions began. He has been in operations, recruitment and in European and UK training teams. The company, says Reilly, values learning: “We don’t have to knock on doors to get learning on the agenda, but there is a high expectation that what we deliver has an impact.” Coming into the L&D role from his business experience gives him an interesting perspective.


He says L&D as a profession has work to do. While it is his firm belief that learning is critical it has to be strategically aligned with the business. That includes helping the business to understand the best approach to take. It is not about sending people to be trained, or as a reward or incentive, but it is about providing support which helps deliver the bottom line. It is very easy for L&D people to be theory- based and talk about various models, but what is important is how these models can be applied in the reality of the business. “Our role is to help business see where the opportunity lies. Lots of money is wasted on training for training’s sake. We are moving from training to performance where you don’t always need a course.”


The low down


n E.learning age spoke to Mark Reilly when he was on sabbatical; as well as some travel he is also planning a garden project. He attended the degree ceremony at MMU celebrating with this year’s 16 graduates and their families and friends the awarding of a degree which many of the graduates would have thought impossible at one time as they left academic study behind.


n His favourite McDonald’s meal is a quarter pounder with fries and an orange juice. He has a McDonald’s two or three times a week and is proud of the responsible way the company sources and prepares its food. He says everyone needs a balanced approach to eating and exercise.


n Despite his many roles with the company he says that he is enjoying his current role and deciding what to do next will be a struggle. The buzz from working in learning comes from being involved in helping develop skills and confidence for people and organisations to grow and transform.


e.learning age september 2015


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