Opinion: McDonald's "No Quit" Sign Forbids Employees from Quitting Without Talking to Management

A strange "no quit" sign has popped up at a McDonald's franchise and has made waves online

McDonald's "No Quit" SignPhoto byTwitter-@f**kyouiquit

It seems as though a certain McDonald's franchise has taken it upon themselves to forbid their employees to quit without having a talk with management.

A picture of a sign has made its way around the Internet. This sign is posted at a McDonald's in the United States and asserts that "this is a no-quit restaurant!" The sign reads, "Because we feel that many situations can be resolved, it is the policy of the restaurant that an employee cannot quit until he or she talks to the Restaurant Manager or the Area Supervisor."

People who have seen this sign online, especially other fast food workers, have been enraged. McDonald's is well known for having a high turnover rate. There are not many people out there who aspire to work at McDonald's for the rest of their lives.

Most people either work there when they're young as a stepping stone to get to a better place in their lives or they work there because they're in desperate need of money and don't have any other options at the moment. It could be a job they work during college for extra money or to obtain some experience when looking for a more professional occupation. Some people might work there in between jobs.

The bottom line is that McDonald's isn't at the top of anyone's career aspirations. Instead of accepting this transient culture and chalking it up to a regular business expense, this particular McDonald's decided to take a different approach by creating and displaying a “no-quit” sign within the restaurant. Basically, you have to get approval from your manager before you can put in your two-week notice.

It is unclear what inspired the hanging of this sign. It should also be noted that this is only happening at one McDonald's franchise and is not a company policy. It is not even clear if it's legal to enforce such a rule.

The fact that you have to speak with a restaurant manager or area supervisor so that THEY can decide whether or not you’re able to move on with your life is a backward approach to management. 

According to the restaurant, the reason the sign exists is that there are many different “situations” that lead to employee resignation, many of which can “be resolved.” 

This McDonald's is overstepping its boundaries. The decision to stay or leave one's place of employment is personal and private. People have the right to quit their jobs without explaining themselves to their managers. As long as they give their two-week notice, they've done nothing wrong.

The existence of this sign triggered a wave of anger on social media, and people were taken aback by the audacity of this McDonald's management. One woman shared her perspective on TikTok, questioning how the restaurant's owners could claim that "all can be resolved" when the CEO of the company earns a hundred times what their low-level employees make.

In conclusion, it seems like McDonald's would have better employee retention if they focused on how they treat their workers instead of intimidating them from wanting to move on from their positions.