McDonald's Advice to Employees: Tip Your Au Pair

McDonald's just can't help itself from giving questionable advice to its employees. CNBC reports that on its employee resource website, McDonald's offered an Emily Post guide to tipping during the holiday season. And just who are the would-be recipients of holiday tips from McDonald's employees? Au pairs (a week's pay and a gift from the child), pool cleaners (the cost of pool cleaning), housekeepers (one day's pay), plus dog walkers, massage therapists, and personal trainers.

Considering that fast food workers across the country have been protesting for higher wages since this Summer and a recent report finds more than half of all fast food workers receive some form of public assistance, it seems unlikely that the Emily Post advice McDonald's chose to share with its employees would be of much use. Following CNBC's initial report, the advice has been removed and a spokesperson told CNBC: "This is content provided by a third-party partner and quotes from one of the best-known etiquette gurus, Emily Post. We continue to review the resource and will ask the vendor to make changes as needed."

This isn't McDonald's first misstep in advice-giving. In October, advocacy group Low Pay Is Not OK showed how the McResource Line directs McDonald's employees to seek out public assistance like food stamps and Medicaid. McDonald's has also been criticized for its financial advice website for employees, which implied that in order to make ends meet employees would need a second source of income. More recently, Low Pay Is Not OK also demonstrated how McDonald's advises its employees to "dig out of holiday debt" by selling unopened presents on eBay and Craigslist. Check out that video below:

Video: McResources

· McFail: McDonald's out-of-touch tipping advice to employees [CNBC via Consumerist]
· McResources [YouTube]
· All McDonald's Coverage on Eater [-E-]