McDonald's employees share the 4 things they wish they could tell management

Four McDonald's crew members told Business Insider that they would advise management to make training a priority.

A former crew member from Virginia told Business Insider that orientation was a "glorified PowerPoint" — and a misleading one at that.

"McDonald's specifically outlines the responsibilities of each station, as if they are all independently managed by one person," the ex-employee told Business Insider. "When you start working there, you quickly see that they expect you to manage multiple roles and stations at the same time, essentially doing the work of two to four people."

The ex-crew member added that "... the only way to get permanently designated to a position instead of being moved as needed is to be better at everyone else at that one job."

Another employee from Minnesota said that managers should keep employees "up to date on stuff."

And another employee from New York said that managers should focus on teaching crew members soft skills, namely ones that allow them "... to work with and handle difficult people while somehow still getting the job done."

A McDonald's crew member from Minnesota told Business Insider that management should make sure to take into consideration employees' "preferences," especially when it comes to scheduling.

"Rolling breaks out an hour into a shift isn't a good way to keep us around," the employee told Business Insider. "Make sure to take care of your workers, they do have preferences as well. Also, try to remember what the employees are interested in."

A Georgia-based crew member told Business Insider that they felt some managers did not respect "time constraints when scheduling employees."

A crew member from outside of Chicago added that managers should have more "consistency" when it comes to assigning certain tasks, like clean-up duty.

"We understand that you guys have your own politics and workload to worry about, but don't take out your frustration on us just because we're under you," a Virginia-based former crew member told Business Insider. "That's not how you inspire leadership."

And that goes beyond just holding off on yelling at employees.

"Treat employees like people, not numbers," another McDonald's employee told Business Insider.

A Pennsylvania-based employee told Business Insider that working at McDonald's is "a hard job."

"People have no idea what goes on behind scenes," the employee said.

A crew member from New York told Business Insider that McDonald's managers should support — not overwork — their most hard-working employees.

"If you're a hard worker you'll get more hours and become a manager faster, but they'll also take advantage of the fact that you work harder than others," the employee told Business Insider. "They'll make you work when they're low on staff and expect more from you when others slack off."

Are you a current or former McDonald's employee with a story to share? Email acain@businessinsider.com.