McDonald’s Embraces Cloud Technology for HR and Payroll Modernization

A Global Giant Takes a Digital Leap

With over 38,000 restaurants spanning across more than 95 countries, McDonald’s is a ubiquitous presence worldwide. Employing over 70,000 people, the fast-food giant’s operational scale is immense. To keep up with its vast operations and modernize its systems, McDonald’s took a significant step in July 2021 by transitioning its North American Human Capital Management (HCM) solution from Lawson HR & Payroll to Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM.

Driving the Move to the Cloud

Kathy Froehlich, Director of Business Operations & Data Integration at McDonald’s Corp and a member of the Quest Cloud HCM Executive Advisory Board, shared insights into this transformative journey with Quest.

“The company needed to modernize its HR and Payroll systems in North America,” Froehlich explained. “We were looking for a product to support that modernization, and Oracle Fusion Apps fit the bill.”

Cloud Deployment: The Modules in Play

Since going live with Oracle Cloud HCM, McDonald’s has deployed four key modules:

• Core HR
• Time & Attendance
• Payroll
• Absence Management

These modules have been instrumental in streamlining various HR functions, ensuring smoother and more efficient operations.

Notable Successes

One of the standout achievements since the implementation has been the significant reduction in payroll processing times. Additionally, there has been a noticeable decrease in incident tickets, indicating a stabilizing system and improving user experience.

Challenges and Solutions

However, the transition has not been without its hurdles. “We continue to struggle with third-party integrations,” Froehlich noted. “Some of this is due to our own implementation, but we have high rates of integration failures and inefficient error notification.” To tackle these challenges, McDonald’s has focused on critical payroll integrations, and efforts to stabilize these have begun to show positive results.

Reporting within the Cloud HCM modules has also posed challenges, with a large number of service requests stemming from reporting needs. As a solution, McDonald’s is exploring Oracle Analytics Cloud to enhance payroll operations reporting.

Ongoing Pain Points

Froehlich highlighted three primary pain points:

• Integrations
• Reporting
• Support for payroll check escheatment

While a workaround for escheatment has been found, Froehlich expressed a desire for more robust support from Oracle in this area.

Engaging with the Cloud Community

For those interested in learning more about experiences with Oracle Cloud HCM, Froehlich recommends joining the Quest Cloud HCM Community Group. This group offers a platform for Oracle customers to share their experiences, seek advice on challenging issues, and discuss the latest releases. The informal monthly online meet-ups provide valuable insights and community support.

McDonald’s journey to the cloud marks a significant step in its ongoing efforts to modernize and streamline its operations. Despite the challenges, the successes achieved so far underscore the potential benefits of cloud technology in transforming HR and payroll systems for global corporations.