UK: Staff Accuses McDonald's of Harassment
According to a report by the BBC published on Tuesday, over 100 employees have accused McDonald's of creating a toxic work culture at the American fast-food giant's UK outlets.
Facts
- According to a report by the BBC published on Tuesday, over 100 employees have accused McDonald's of creating a toxic work culture at the American fast-food giant's UK outlets.1
- The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald's in February, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) assuring it would keep its staff safe from sexual harassment.2
- Of the more than 100 allegations, 31 were of sexual assault, 78 were of sexual harassment, 18 were related to racism, and six were related to homophobia.2
- While McDonald's admits it had "fallen short" and has "deeply apologized," the EHRC said it was extremely "concerned" by the allegations and will be launching a new email hotline for those affected.3
- Meanwhile, a spokesperson for McDonald's — which employs over 170K people in 1,450 UK restaurants — has claimed that the allegations will soon be investigated, saying on behalf of the chain: "there is no place for harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind at McDonald's."4
- Former US chief executive of McDonald's Steve Easterbrook was fired in 2019 over an alleged secret affair with a staff member. Despite leaving with a deal awarding him tens of millions of dollars, Easterbrook was subsequently sued by the company for failing to disclose other sexual relationships with staff.5
Sources: 1Daily Mail, 2The Economic Times, 3BBC News, 4Mirror, and 5The Telegraph.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. While these allegations are serious and unfortunate, McDonald's follows labor laws and goes to great lengths to ensure that all employees enjoy a safe and respectful workplace. There is no place for abuse at the company — management will investigate all allegations and impose the most severe outcomes for any breaches of conduct they uncover.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Forbes. McDonald's doesn't care about the well-being of its employees. Similar allegations were made four years ago by over 1K women who reported they had been subjected to sexual harassment and abuse while working at McDonald's restaurants, yet nothing has changed. The failure to act on complaints has clearly continued, as toxic behaviors remain present in the corporation.
