Not bad for a McJob?

A new McDonald's poster campaign aimed at tackling its "McJob" image will raise more than a few eyebrows.

The fast food giant has, among critics, become synonymous with poor quality jobs and sub-standard food. The company has worked on the food issue - introducing salads and highlighting the provenance of its ingredients - and is now launching an overt attempt to change the ingrained "McJob" label.

It is a bold step in McDonald's continuing attempts to change the perception of the brand. However using a campaign strapline "Not bad for a McJob" might be seen by some as equivalent to Exxon using the name "Valdez" in a corporate social responsibility drive.

McDonald's campaign, running in all of its 1,225 UK outlets, includes 18 ads depicting a startling array of positive business practices such as the company's Investors in People status, flexible working hours for parents, competitive pay and promotion options and health benefits.

With 67,000 employees in the UK alone, the company certainly has a responsibility to display good practice. McDonald's vice-president of People David Fairhurst - drafted in a year ago from Tesco to the newly created, top-level role - said around 60% of the company's employees are under 21 years old.

Fairhurst appears earnest about changing the company's image both internally and externally. But will his creation of new roles such as 'reputation manager' - dedicated to addressing staff issues - really make a difference?

Despite the array of positive practices trumpeted in the McJob campaign, it remains to be seen if reality measures up to the ads. The company still has a high staff turnover rate with around 25,000 new employees joining every year.