Day 134 - 13 Jun 95 - Page 71
1
2 Q. No. We are just asking for your view. Otherwise I might
3 think that it might had come down because during the early
4 1990s there has been a general tendency for people to be
5 grateful for whatever they got and hang on to it if they
6 can, which was not necessarily the view a lot of people
7 were taking in the early 1980s, for instance. That might
8 just be a personal view and it might be wrong. If you
9 think there was some way in which McDonald's improved
10 conditions which meant there was a tendency for people to
11 say, "thereby reducing turnover", this is your opportunity
12 to say so.
13 A. I think it is also an ongoing process rather than a
14 one-off thing. I think it is improvements ----
15
16 Q. You may say generally this was improved or that was
17 improved as a company always hopes to improve situations
18 and the fact is turnover has come down.
19
20 MR. MORRIS: That is a disputed fact.
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Are there particular features which you think
23 are responsible?
24 A. Certainly economic factors will have played a part in
25 this period of time given there has been a recession, but
26 I think that also changes in the implementation of our
27 training programme, while not always operated 100 per cent
28 effectively, have made it more up-to-date, more relevant to
29 the UK and so on, more interesting and more motivational
30 for employees, as well as our education programmes and the
31 junior business management programme which I have
32 described. I think also some things about the managers,
33 I referred earlier to their experience and age and clearly
34 their approach and the more we can train people in how to
35 work with their staff the better.
36
37 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just take stock for the moment, Ms. Steel and
38 give the best estimate you can of how much longer you think
39 you are going to be.
40
41 MS. STEEL: Not very much. I have about two or three more
42 questions.
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Then, unless anyone has any objection, we
45 will press on and when you think you have got to the end of
46 your questions take a minute or two just to take -- unless
47 you, Mr. Rampton, think your re-examination will take more
48 than 10 minutes or so?
49
50 MR. RAMPTON: No, it will not.
51
52 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We will carry on.
53
54 MS. STEEL: There is one thing, did Mr. Nicholson ask you about
55 how long the Company stored or how long managers stored
56 clock cards?
57 A. No, he did not.
58
59 Q. He did not ask you that?
60 A. No. I am aware that it came up before, but
