In its commitment to bringing out the best in its people, McDonald’s Philippines said “thank you” to its hardworking crew members across McDonald’s stores nationwide with its “Salamuch Crew” initiative.
“Salamuch, Crew!” was launched last November 2023 to encourage McDonald’s customers, crew and managers to build and foster a culture of kindness by making how we say “thank you” more meaningful, and opening up channels to express appreciation and gratitude.
“We’re very excited to celebrate our first ever National ‘Salamuch, Crew! Day’ simultaneously in our stores all over the Philippines. Salamuch Crew! is McDonald’s way of saying thank you together with our customers, to our close to 60,000 crew who serve our customers every day and allow us to continue growing in the country. It is very heartwarming to read the notes and stories from our customers about how our crew made their McDonald’s experience great, and how these stories foster a deeper sense of appreciation and recognition among our crew,” said McDonald’s Philippines’ assistant vice president for corporate relations and impact Adi Hernandez,
The project began with the launch of the “Salamuch!” virtual wall, which is an innovative platform that allowed customers to express their gratitude through personalized messages to crew members. This included ten gigantic, Instagram-worthy walls in select stores, including Katipunan, UN Del Pilar and Commonwealth.
Additionally, physical drop boxes for handwritten notes were made available in selected stores, which contain the most heartfelt messages displayed on picture-perfect, social media-ready walls. Across the platforms, the call to express their “thank you” to the crews drew in thousands of messages.
“By leading with gratitude, McDonald’s Philippines is not only elevating the workplace experience of our crew and managers, but we also aim to inspire more in the service industry to do the same– make every individual feel valued, empowered, and fulfilled in their work,” added Hernandez.
The culminating event took place last April 17 at the Quezon Avenue-Ligaya store. It was broadcast live via Zoom to over 380 McDonald’s locations nationwide, including the latest addition in Tacloban, Leyte. The Quezon Avenue-Ligaya and Tacloban celebrations gathered almost a hundred participants, including media and other guests.
The day was filled with fun activities, including games, bonding exercises, raffles and of course, their favorite McDonald’s meals, which were all meticulously organized for the company’s crew members. A special segment of the event also involved reading aloud the best customer letters from the “Salamuch!” drop boxes, further fostering a sense of community and appreciation.
Salamuch Crew Certificates were given to employees in recognition of their exceptional contributions, highlighting the importance of positive recognition in the workplace.
One of the event’s highlights was a surprise video appearance by showbiz personality and social media influencer Nikko Natividad, who shared inspiring words about how his experience as a food service crew played a significant role in his journey to success in the entertainment industry.
“Each of our crew members is truly a valuable member of McDonald’s Philippines. We work towards ensuring that our workplace culture is welcoming and inclusive, allowing for our people to do their work well and grow. This is anchored on progressive people practices like direct-hiring, flexible schedules and a training and development curriculum, which allows for growth–a vision passionately championed by our Chairman and McDonald’s Philippines master franchise holder, Dr. George Yang.
“Mr. Yang always believed that to succeed and grow, you must invest in people and on the things that make them be and feel their best,” said McDonald’s Philippines’ vice president for Human Capital Group Ben Marasigan, who graced the event at the McDonald’s branch in Quezon City.
“Salamuch, Crew! Day” is more than an event or a campaign, but a powerful reminder of gratitude and kindness. With this, McDonald’s Philippines hopes that it not only celebrates its crew’s contributions, but lead by example in encouraging more Filipinos to sincerely say “thank you” or “Salamuch” to the people who serve us every day in the service industry and beyond.
