“Maccas was my fourth or fifth job. I had worked in car yards and dabbled in finance, and was almost 21 when I started, so I was a bit of a ‘late’ bloomer,” says Paul Wywsik, who, at 39 years old, supervises several restaurants across Canberra.
As a young man, Paul decided to go back to uni and pursue a double degree. “I needed something flexible, so I started here at Gungahlin McDonald’s back in February 2004, as a crew person.
“I just wanted casual hours. Then, as I was doing uni, I just fell in love with the role,” he says.
That year, McDonald’s Australia first introduced Deli Choices, and Paul was made daily coordinator of the Deli bar, “organising the salamis and such.”
A year later, he was ready for management and soon became the 2IC of McDonald’s Gungahlin, before taking on his next restaurant: Charnwood.
“Then I got the opportunity to run Belconnen Lake, I did that for a couple of years, then helped open up McDonald’s Kippax and Mitchell.”
It was the first few in a long line of restaurants that Paul was entrusted to open throughout his 20s, including McDonald’s Dickson, Canberra Centre, Canberra City, and Braddon, all of which he remains supervisor of to this day. He also worked as the group’s HR manager.
“There does have to be a good relationship there, a good work ethic, and it doesn’t hurt that I understand operations.
“I didn’t end up finishing that degree, I found it was easy to get a degree through Maccas. I now have a Certificate of Business Management, which Maccas paid for while I worked 40 hours a week,” he says.
“I remember that my first day at Maccas was very fast paced, very hands on. I was surprised that teamwork and camaraderie were really, really important.”
Now, coming up on two decades later, Paul sees himself as a teacher of the “practical side of the workforce”.
“I try and teach our young employees what workforces are really all about, the things they might not learn at school.”
He says this can range from effective communication to a sense of hustle, how to plan and stay organised, and how to clean as you go, but there are two main lessons that young people are learning at their first job, rather than in school.
“Number one is how to be productive in a short amount of time. And number two is learning how to not bring what’s happening outside of work, into work.
“At school, it doesn’t matter too much if you go in with a bad attitude. But unfortunately, when working in any industry, you have to leave that at the door.”
Throughout his career, Paul has mentored approximately 60 managers.
“I still talk to a lot of people who are now working in other industries but are very thankful for the training and development that they received while at Maccas,” he says.
“The friendships are always the best thing you’ll walk away with. I think I’ll be friends with a lot of them for the rest of my life.”
“At the end of the day, we make burgers, but burgers aren’t hard to do. It’s the teamwork, the camaraderie, the work ethic that I really try to instil, and if someone can get something out of that, then that’s what I’ll take away from this career.”
“Anyone can do well at Maccas, all you need is two arms, two legs and a heartbeat. There’s no such thing as a bad worker, just bad training, and you’re only as good as your weakest link.”
According to Paul, Maccas is the first job for over half their employees. However, just like him, a Maccas career is a good fit for anybody looking for flexibility.
“Whatever you need in your lifestyle, if you’re in uni, or can only work nights or certain hours of the day, we’ve got stores open 24/7.
“If you’re looking for a team environment, if you want to build more friends, or learn about the workforce, all you need to bring is your smile and a great attitude.”
To find out more about career opportunities at McDonald’s, visit careers.mcdonalds.com.au
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