Complaint Review: McDonald's Of San Joaquin County

I've worked for the Schrader San Joaquin County McDonalds since August 2008 till June 2009. While working at McDonald I applied for their local McDonald Employee $1000 scholarship through my college. The requirement that SJC McDonalds wanted and was printed in the description for the scholarship was, Must be a current employer of the San Joaquin County McDonald's with 6 months of employment. Beside that description, there was nothing else. At the time I was working there for already 6 months therefore I applied for the scholarship. I submitted the application in late February early March and in June received a letter notifying me that I was a recipient for the McDonald Employee $1000 scholarship. At the time, I was already 4 months pregnant and had planned to quit as soon as I was 5 months pregnant. Before making my final decision whether to quit or not I was worried whether I would still receive the scholarship because in the description it did not say anything about not receiving the scholarship if I quit. Therefore, I went back to review the requirements and it did not say that I must continue working for the company to receive the scholarship, so I decided to go with my decision and leave my two week notice. After I left my two week notice I was not contacted by any of the HR Department of SJC McDonald that I would no longer receive the scholarship if I quit. I assumed that because they didn't notify I would still be receiving the scholarship for the school year. About one week later I contacted my Financial Aid Specialist confirming my scholarships and she emailed me back saying, I received an email from McDonald's informing me that you left employment from McDonald's and should therefore NOT receive the scholarship. After finding that out, I felt the decision to withdraw the scholarship from me was unjust and unreasonable because one, the description for the scholarship did not mention that an employee must continue working there to receive t he scholarship. Two, the company did not try to notify me about the result if I quit, although I left them my 2 week notice. Three, I quit because I was 5 month pregnant and felt I could no longer work no more, not because I found out I got the scholarship and no longer wanted to work for the company. Four, they did not have an adequate reason to withdraw the scholarship they've given me beside the fact that, I LEFT MCDONALD. I felt that if the only reason they decided to withdraw the scholarship from me is because I left it could have been prevented because the company could have notify me when I left my two week notice that if I quit I would no longer received it and I would not have quit. When I decided to quit due to my pregnancy I planned to return after having the baby but because of this situation and the result of it I felt that they mistreated me as an employee and as a student as well. They did not realized that when their employees fills apply for the scholarship many don't know what their going to be doing later within the years because some may transfer out, move away to another state etc and what if they got the scholarship and realized it can help them with tuitions, books etc and then later found out that they cant get it no more. If this is how the Schrader San Joaquin County McDonalds treats their employee after they quit to an adequate reason, they should not give out this scholarship at all. A scholarship is to award employee/students because of the good work they've done but the scholarship given by the SJC McDonalds makes me as an individual feel like it's not even a scholarship because if I have to continue working for them to even get it, how is it a scholarship? I might as well not even applied for it and just continue working there. When I received the awarded I was excited that I could afford for tuitions and books for the coming school year and now that it's withdrawn from me for no reason I don't know whether financially I could pay for school with a baby on the way. Because of this scholarship and how I was treated by the company I felt humiliated, treated unfair and has been emotionally and physically stress. I want them to realize what this has caused me and the stress it has caused. They are and unfair and unreasonable company!!!!!

Anonymous
St. Paul, Minnesota
U.S.A.

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