An employee at McDonald’s has expressed concerns about the need for further improvement in the company’s workplace culture.
Matty, a long-term employee at McDonald’s who preferred to remain anonymous, highlighted instances where discussions about personal matters, including sex life, were common among managers and colleagues. However, he acknowledged recent positive changes, describing the atmosphere as more professional. Matty, who started working at McDonald’s as a 16-year-old student, advised potential employees to carefully consider joining the company.
Another former worker, also choosing to stay unnamed, mentioned that the environment had not significantly improved before they left for another job earlier this year, indicating that the situation was still not ideal.
These revelations coincide with McDonald’s announcement of additional measures in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to safeguard employees from sexual harassment within the company.
The EHRC had initially established a legal agreement with McDonald’s in 2023 to address concerns regarding the handling of staff complaints in UK restaurants. This agreement, originally set to expire in 2025, has now been extended and strengthened for at least another year.
In response to potential legal action, McDonald’s franchise owners were cautioned by the EHRC in March. Subsequently, the EHRC decided to work with McDonald’s to implement more rigorous measures to address the issues at hand, commending the company for its current efforts.
Earlier this year, over 750 individuals who were under 19 years old during their employment at McDonald’s sought legal recourse through the law firm Leigh Day, citing instances of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism, and harassment across more than 450 McDonald’s locations by February.
Kiran Daurka, an employment law partner at Leigh Day, expressed concerns over the need for McDonald’s to take significant action to protect its young workforce, emphasizing the importance of corporate responsibility in addressing such issues.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, noted the agreement’s updated measures aimed at creating a safer workplace at McDonald’s, emphasizing the commitment to zero tolerance for harassment and providing clear avenues for reporting and resolving complaints.
Under the new agreement, McDonald’s is obligated to work with external experts on a safeguarding plan, ensure independent investigations of complaints against managers, hire an external auditor for the complaints handling unit, and expand training for managers and franchisees on various topics, including social media and grooming.
As one of the largest employers in the UK with over 170,000 employees across 1,450 restaurants, McDonald’s acknowledges the need for continuous improvement in ensuring a secure work environment for its predominantly young workforce.
These legal actions follow a previous BBC report in 2023 that highlighted issues of sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying within McDonald’s, prompting the company to engage PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) consultants to audit its establishments.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s emphasized the company’s ongoing efforts, in collaboration with franchisees, to implement robust initiatives ensuring workplace safety, welcoming the formalization of these measures in the latest EHRC agreement to further the progress already made.
McDonald’s and its franchisees, employing approximately 148,000 workers nationwide, express confidence in the effectiveness of the measures already in place and the positive impact on their workforce.