Day 180 - 31 Oct 95 - Page 29
1 Q. Yes. Well, at the moment, I do not see why one should
2 exclude item 1, if that is one's objective. There we are.
3 A. Well, even if one continues to include item 1, I think
4 to analyse these figures based on, if you like, known
5 specific reasons, work-related reasons, for departure, it
6 is more helpful for an employer to understand why people
7 are leaving, in terms of the work experience, working at
8 the company; and if you do that, then the ratios on job
9 dissatisfaction and other factors to do with -- on the
10 satisfaction area. So it does become somewhat more
11 significant, because you are dealing with a clearer
12 population to analyse.
13
14 MR. MORRIS: Can I just ask you, if, as we have heard,
15 McDonald's turnover in the winter of 1989/90 was something
16 like 190 per cent, which is something like five times or
17 more what you described as the already high turnover in
18 that section of industry, restaurants, based on these
19 figures, how would you view McDonald's stated view that it
20 is all down to people leaving and coming back to college,
21 which is what they have put forward in -----
22
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No.
24
25 MR. RAMPTON: It is absolutely hopeless, with respect.
26
27 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am sorry. I am not going to allow to put
28 that question, because that just does not accord with the
29 evidence. We have had all sorts of other reasons why
30 people come and go, apart from going to school; mothers of
31 children, and everything like that. It is just not
32 helpful.
33
34 MR. MORRIS: It was all, basically, for McDonald's, a load of
35 waffle. The reason is that people are just dissatisfied.
36
37 MR. JUSTICE BELL: As far as I am concerned, any answer to the
38 questions you put will be on a completely false premise
39 and, therefore, will not help me.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: If this is McDonald's own information -- it is the
42 only information we have been provided with, and we have
43 been provided with all relevant documents, apparently --
44 they would not be able to justify such high turnover, would
45 they, such phenomenally high turnover, with the fact that
46 people are going back to college or school, based on this
47 information, which is the Company information?
48 A. No. I mean, I understand the point you are making. It
49 is statistically impossible to answer that question, based
50 on the information in this table or in the rest of this
51 particular document, my Lord. It is impossible to draw
52 general conclusions as to the reasons for turnover, and if
53 you take out -- and to attribute it -- to attribute high
54 turnover from these figures in this particular table, to
55 attribute high turnover to the one in five returning to
56 school, obviously, cannot be held up.
57
58 This is an exit interview survey; and, from this, it is
59 impossible to sustain the position that high turnover is
60 due to students going back to school.
