With nearly 2 million employees on the payroll, McDonald’s is constantly hiring new people to work at its thousands of locations across the globe. So in recent years the fast food giant has streamlined its hiring process to accommodate online applicants, who tend to be younger and applying for their first jobs. Then last month, McDonald’s took this concept to the next level by announcing that people can now apply for jobs using voice commands through Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant.
The idea is to provide young applicants with a comfortable entryway to the hiring process. “After beginning the experience via Alexa or the Google Assistant, all they’ll need to do is answer a few basic questions out loud,” said McDonald’s in a press release. “They’ll receive a text, following their responses to these questions, with a link to complete the application process online. Simple as that.” While it remains unclear if many applicants will take advantage of this system, the concept is part of an overall effort by McDonald’s to improve its technological capabilities.
For instance, earlier this year the chain spent $300 million acquiring a data analysis and artificial intelligence startup called Dynamic Yield. McDonald’s is already using this new technology to develop voice-activated drive-thrus and even robotic deep fryers. What’s more, the fast food giant will continue to install self-ordering kiosks at locations all over the world. McDonald’s has also formed strong partnerships with tech firms like Uber Eats and Snapchat in order to increase their reach with young consumers. Although efforts like these contribute to lower costs and higher efficiency, critics fear that the company’s ultimate goal is to automate as much of its workforce as possible.
Questions:
- How does McDonald’s voice-activated hiring system work? Do you think many people will take advantage of it?
- Why is McDonald’s investing so heavily in new technology?
Sources: Abigail Hess, “You Can Now Apply for a Job at McDonald’s Using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant,” CNBC, September 25, 2019; Nick Statt, “McDonald’s Is Now Accepting Job Applications Through Alexa And Google Assistant,” The Verge, September 25, 2019.