Flip Me a Burger, Brother!

   Absenteeism and constant employee turnover are two big problems that the fast-food industry has to deal with. In an attempt to smooth a way past these obstacles to efficient workplace functioning, the giant burger corporation, McDonald's, is instituting the "Family Contract" in some of its 1,250 British restaurants. If the Contract is successful in jolly old England, McDonald's may extend it to some of the other 117 countries where its more than 31,000 restaurants currently employ more than 1.5 million people.
   The Family Contract will allow family members, including same-sex partners to sign on as pairs that can take each other's shifts, if the need arises, without having to clear it in advance with the boss. If absenteeism and turnover have dropped at the participating British outlets by the fall, McDonald's will deem it successful.
   The idea is an interesting take on the concept of job-sharing, and a needed acknowledgement of the stresses and occasionally necessary "time-outs" that family life and other duties can demand. Maybe, if successful, it will spread to more than just other McDonald's outlets. What do you think?