"McJob" is a
slang
A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...
term for a low-paying, low-prestige
dead-end job that requires few
skills
A skill is the learned or innate
ability
Abilities are powers an agent has to perform various Action (philosophy), actions. They include common abilities, like walking, and rare abilities, like performing a double backflip. Abilities are in ...
and offers very little chance of advancement. The term "McJob" comes from the name of the
fast-food restaurant
A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
, but is used to describe any low-status jobregardless of employerwhere little
training
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...
is required, staff
turnover is high, and workers' activities are
tightly regulated by managers.
History
"McJob" was in use at least as early as 1986 — it appears in an article by sociologist
Amitai Etzioni — and the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' defines it as "
unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector." Lack of
job security is common.
The term was popularized by
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He ...
's 1991 novel ''
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'',
which described a "McJob" as a "low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low benefit, no-future job in the service sector. Frequently considered a satisfying career choice by people who have never held one."
[Coupland, Douglas. ''Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture''. St Martin's Press, 1991. p. 5 ]
In the face of objections from McDonald's, the term "McJob" was added to ''
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary'' in 2003. In an open letter to Merriam-Webster, McDonald's
CEO,
James Cantalupo denounced the definition as a "slap in the face" to all restaurant employees, and stated that "a more appropriate definition of a 'McJob' might be 'teaches responsibility'". Merriam-Webster responded that "
hey stoodby the accuracy and appropriateness of
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
definition."
On 20 March 2007, the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reported that the
UK arm of McDonald's planned a public
petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication.
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...
to have the OED's definition of "McJob" changed. Lorraine Homer from McDonald's stated that the company feels the definition is "out of date and inaccurate". McDonald's UK CEO, Peter Beresford, described the term as "demeaning to the hard work and dedication displayed by the 67,000 McDonald's employees throughout the UK". The company would prefer the definition to be rewritten to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime".
These comments run counter to the principle that dictionaries
simply record linguistic usage rather than judge it, and that dropping the entry for "McJob" would be a precedent for
bowdlerising definitions of other derogatory terms.
McDonald's attempted to get all of its workers to sign the petition but many refused on the grounds that the current definition is accurate despite the company's complaint.
During the aforementioned arguments that broke out when
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated is an list of companies of the United States by state, American company that publishes reference work, reference books and is mostly known for Webster's Dictionary, its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary pub ...
included "McJob" in its new edition, McDonald's officials implied the company might bring a
lawsuit
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
against the dictionary based on this trademark issue, but never did so. McDonald's disputes that its jobs are poor, because the company has been nominated for employee awards that are created by employers. However, this was contradicted in the outcome of the UK
McLibel court case, in which the judges ruled that it was fair to say that McDonald's employees worldwide "do badly in terms of pay and conditions".
The term "McJOBS" was registered as a
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
by McDonald's in 1984 as a name and image for "training handicapped persons as restaurant employees". The trademark lapsed in February 1992, and was declared canceled by the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...
. Following the October 1992 publication of ''Generation X'' in paperback, McDonald's restored the trademark.
Accuracy of the term
There are often wide variations in how workers are actually treated depending on the local franchise owner. Some employees start out in
entry-level McJobs and later become assistant managers or managers, continuing to work at the same franchise for many years; however this is the exception rather than the norm. McDonald's advertises that its former CEO,
Jim Skinner, began working at the company as a regular restaurant employee, and that 20 of its top 50 managers began work as regular crew members.
According to
Jim Cantalupo, former
CEO of McDonald's, the perception of fast-food work being boring and mindless is inaccurate, and over 1,000 of the people who now own McDonald's
franchises began behind the counter. Because McDonald's has over 400,000 employees and high turnover, Cantalupo's contention has been criticized as being invalid, working to highlight the exception rather than the rule.
In 2006, McDonald's undertook an advertising campaign in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to challenge the perceptions of the ''McJob''. The campaign, developed by Barkers Advertising and supported by research conducted by
Adrian Furnham
Adrian Frank Furnham (born 3 February 1953) is a South African-born British British Psychological Society, BPS chartered Industrial and organizational psychology, occupational psychologist and chartered Health psychology, health psychologist. He ...
, professor of psychology at
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
, highlighted the benefits of working for the organization, stating that they were "''Not bad for a McJob''". The advertisements ran at
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
's
Piccadilly Circus.
[Not bad for a McJob?]
" Management Issues. June 8, 2006
See also
*
Contingent work
*
Critique of work
*''
Maxime, McDuff & McDo'', a 2002 French documentary about unionization of a McDonald's in Montreal
*
McWords
*''
My Secret Life on the McJob'', a 2006 book describing management lessons learned by the author, Jerry Newman, when he worked undercover in several fast food venues
*
Permatemp
*
Poverty
Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
*
Working poor
*
Zero-hour contract, some businesses participate in, whereby work is not guaranteed, but employees must be available for work in short notice, unlike contingent work (or casual contract), where employees must be given ample notice, and have the right to refuse guaranteed minimum hours of work.
References
External links
McJob status hard to breakThe flip side of a McJobMcDonald's New TV Ad Fights 'McJob' ImageMcDonald's 'A-level' is launched
{{Employment
McDonald's
McWords
Food services occupations
Ethically disputed working conditions
Community organizing
Employment classifications
Labor disputes
Labor relations
Pejorative terms
Feminism and social class
1980s neologisms
Criticism of fast food