McDonald’s, the popular fast-food chain, is facing serious allegations as 100 UK staff members come forward, accusing the company of perpetuating a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying within the workplace. The shocking revelations emerged from a recent investigation conducted by the BBC, which uncovered routine instances of groping and harassment, affecting workers as young as 17 years old.
The UK equality watchdog has expressed concern over the BBC’s findings and is launching an email hotline to address the issue. McDonald’s has issued a response, acknowledging that it has “fallen short” and offering a sincere apology. The company asserts that all employees deserve a safe, respectful, and inclusive working environment.
The investigation by the BBC commenced in February after McDonald’s entered into a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to protect its employees from sexual harassment. At the time, McDonald’s claimed to have a strong track record in this area. However, over a span of five months, the BBC reached out to McDonald’s workers, gathering their experiences. Out of more than 100 allegations shared by employees, 31 were related to sexual assault and 78 were related to sexual harassment. Additionally, 18 allegations of racism and six allegations of homophobia were reported.
Some of the distressing claims made by McDonald’s employees include instances of racial slurs, physical assault, and explicit images being sent by senior staff members. Other workers reported experiencing anti-Semitic abuse, racist jokes, and discriminatory behaviour. Shockingly, there were allegations of managers pressuring young workers into engaging in sexual acts and instances of betting on who could sleep with a new recruit first.
These allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald’s first surfaced in the UK five years ago when the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) received approximately 1,000 complaints. The limited reporting of these allegations may be attributed to the use of confidentiality clauses in some settlements.
Sarah Woolley, the general secretary of BFAWU, expressed her shock at the new allegations uncovered by the BBC. McDonald’s CEO for the UK and Ireland, Alistair Macrow, responded to the allegations, emphasizing that there is no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination within the company. Macrow stated that all allegations would be thoroughly investigated and that proven breaches of the code of conduct would be met with severe consequences, including potential dismissal.
Macrow also highlighted that over 2,000 managers had completed comprehensive awareness training, and most restaurant teams were now operating within the new protective measures designed to foster a safe and respectful workplace. McDonald’s stressed that it has strict regulations in place worldwide to ensure the safety and respect of its employees.
