One April morning, I walked into the McDonald's at Piazza di Spagna as a slightly different kind of customer. I had an appointment with Giovanni Lodico, who for three years has coordinated personnel and overseen training at "Food Italia," which operates five McDonald's locations in Rome. Among the company's 300 workers, 12 are people with handicaps. (Five have Down syndrome, one is deaf and mute, one has fragile X syndrome, and five others have various forms of mental retardation.) Giovanni is responsible for training and on-the-job support for this group, who were brought to the company through the Down Syndrome Association and the local employment office.
Hiring people with handicaps is not McDonald's only social policy—in the United States, the company budgets funds to support group homes for at-risk children. Here in Rome, the employment initiative began somewhat by chance three years ago, but it's clear that sustaining it has required genuine corporate commitment, which combined with certain features of how the work is organized and the coordinator's role has made this integration exemplary.
- The youth of all staff (ages 20–30);
- the international and multi-ethnic makeup of the workforce;
- work divided into numerous, well-defined tasks;
- precise and rigorous company rules (no eating during work, punctuality is absolute…);
- use of rewards beyond salary (pins, watches, etc.) to recognize quality work.
All these factors make the job easier for disabled young workers.
The training method suits their disability: few words, everything learned by imitation. Giovanni demonstrates each task in front of every new employee.
The coordinator's role and personality: this third element seems crucial to me. Giovanni trains all new employees for a period ranging from one to three months. The trial period before contract signing is only fifteen days for young people placed by the employment office and one month for those hired privately.
Training is technical—covering the various jobs to be done—and relational, covering everything about interacting with people. In each work area (kitchen, cashier, dining room, etc.), tasks are divided into specific duties: in the dining room, for example, there are three tasks; in the kitchen, seven (toasting bread, preparing sandwiches, cooking meat, and so on). According to McDonald's regulations, every employee must master all tasks. Giovanni emphasizes that in his experience, disabled workers succeed at every assigned task: "It takes them longer than others, but they get there. And once they learn, they're not any slower at doing the work."
The training method itself suits their disability: few words, everything learned through imitation. Giovanni works with each new employee, demonstrating every task step by step. When someone has particular difficulties, he works beside them for an entire month. "I don't have a special method. I just try to remember how lost I felt when I started at the lowest level myself—everyone is confused when they start something new. The trick is to break the action down into small steps and make sure each step is mastered on its own and won't be forgotten. Of course it takes some sensitivity. You have to feel the other person, and then have patience. A lot of patience."
By regulation, every employee learns all tasks. These young workers take longer to learn, but once they're working, they're no slower than anyone else.
On the relational side, Giovanni says there are no real problems—neither with coworkers nor with customers.
By regulation, every employee learns all tasks. These young workers take longer to learn, but once they're working, they're no slower than anyone else.Clear corporate commitment at McDonald's, combined with how the work is structured and the coordinator's role, has made this integration work.
It's worth noting that, as in other situations, there are necessarily limits to hiring people with disabilities: they must be able to work independently and cannot have serious psychological issues (instability, aggression, poor concentration, etc.). Independent travel between home and work is not essential. "In fact," Giovanni explains, "many arrived with someone at first, but later learned to come on their own."
Only two accommodations have been made for disabled workers. The first involves hours. All McDonald's employees work 24 hours per week spread across five days; disabled workers work only 20 hours, always the same shift, to prevent confusion.
The second accommodation, which I consider essential, concerns the mentor's role: Giovanni visits each disabled worker's site once a week—not for a formal check-in, but to work alongside them for a while. All the young workers have his phone number and call often just to chat. These details show how important the mentor is and how much his availability matters.
Before I left, Giovanni came back to the importance of recognition. Verbal appreciation for work done shouldn't be forgotten, especially at first. But beyond salary, concrete rewards—small gifts—mean a lot to these young people. Teresa, stepping out from the kitchen to say goodbye, showed me proudly and happily the watch she'd received after a month of work. She's truly satisfied with what she does.
No question: this work, done on equal terms with others, changes disabled young people's lives. But it shouldn't consume them entirely. Giovanni notes that the more they have other activities—sports, gym, various groups—the better they perform their tasks. And the more they're used to participating in group activities, the fuller and easier their relationships with coworkers become. "Often," Giovanni says, "it's the Down syndrome kid who suggests going out together, organizing a pizza night… and the others follow happily."
- Nicole Schulthes, 1997