McDonald's signs contract with watchdog after sexual harassment claims

Is this McDonald’s #MeToo moment? Fast-food giant is forced to sign contract with equality watchdog after ‘more than 1,000 complaints’ of workplace sexual harassment in UK branches

• McDonald’s legally committed itself to protect workers from sexual harassment
• It follows sexual harassment claims from UK employees – said to be over 1,000 
• Similar accusations were made in its US stores which the firm ‘failed to address’

McDonald’s has signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog amid concerns over how it has handled sexual harassment complaints made by UK staff.

It is not known how many current complaints have been made in the UK but the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) claimed in 2019 that more than 1,000 UK cases have been reported.

The legally binding agreement, with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), commits the group to a number of measures to better protect workers in the UK.

It does not include chains in Ireland or overseas, such as in the US.

The move comes after similar allegations were made by workers at the fast-food chain’s US restaurants over several years and the company’s failure to deal with the issue.

McDonald’s has signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog amid concerns over how it has handled sexual harassment complaints made by UK staff

Such measures include communicating a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to sexual harassment, to provide anti-harassment training for its employees, and to improve policies to better respond to complaints.

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One UK woman previously spoke out after a manager sexually harassed her and pulled his pants down in the stockroom.

Christine, who worked at a branch in south London, described the atmosphere as ‘toxic’, with managers flirting with junior staff and one of them was ‘touching everyone’s bum’, the BBC reports.

She said things took a sinister turn on day in 2018 when she asked for permission to go home while feeling unwell.

 She said: ‘He pulled his pants down in the stockroom,’ she said, adding she felt ‘terrified’.

McDonald’s later responded that the way Christine was treated was ‘completely unacceptable and has no place in our restaurants’.

Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s in UK and Ireland, said the company already has a ‘strong track record’ in this area but wants to further improve it.

‘As one of the UK’s leading employers, the safety and wellbeing of our people is our absolute priority,’ he said.

 Last month, McDonald’s former CEO Steve Easterbrook was fined £330,000 after sexting an unnamed employee. He was fired over the incident in November 2019

‘It is hugely important to me that everyone in our organisation feels safe, respected and included at all times – this is core to the values of our business.

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‘We already have a strong track record in this area and I now welcome the opportunity to work with the EHRC to further strengthen this.’

Mr Macrow stressed that harassment and abuse ‘have no place in our society or at McDonald’s’.

Last month, McDonald’s former CEO Steve Easterbrook was fined £330,000 after sexting an unnamed employee. 

The 55-year-old, who US regulators have also barred from being a director for five years, was fired in November 2019 for exercising ‘poor judgment’ in sending the message.

He enjoyed a payoff running into the tens of millions, but this was clawed back by the company after it emerged he’d failed to disclose romances with other staff.

Easterbrook, originally from Watford, was once the golden boy of the world’s biggest fast food chain and had a stellar reputation for turning around its ailing fortunes.

In 2021, McDonald’s said it would require workers around the world to undergo anti-harassment training after it emerged that at least 50 employees globally had filed charges against the chain over the previous five years.

The charges alleged physical and verbal harassment and, in some cases, retaliation when they complained.

Workers in several US cities staged a strike in 2018 to protest against the fast-food giant’s alleged failure to prevent sexual harassment at work.

In 2021, McDonald’s said it would require workers around the world to undergo anti-harassment training after it emerged that at least 50 employees globally had filed charges against the chain over the previous five years

Meanwhile, in the UK, the BFAWU has previously raised the alarm over a ‘toxic culture’ in restaurants and stated that at least 1,000 women have been harassed by managers and supervisors.

Ian Hodson, national president of the BFAWU, said: ‘It’s shameful that one of the richest corporations on the planet doesn’t take sexual harassment seriously until we raise it.

‘I pay tribute to all our members who have spoken out on this issue and encourage McDonald’s to work with us in ending sexual harassment.’

The EHRC says it is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010, which makes employers legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by a colleague, and the employer has not taken all steps they could to prevent it from happening.

The group has been behind similar agreements with the likes of Sainsbury’s, which it started working with in 2019 after a member of staff won an employment tribunal claim for sexual harassment.

Alistair Macrow, Chief Executive Officer, McDonald’s Restaurants Limited in UK and Ireland said: ‘As one of the UK’s leading employers, the safety and wellbeing of our people is our absolute priority. 

‘It is hugely important to me that everyone in our organisation feels safe, respected and included at all times – this is core to the values of our business.

‘We already have a strong track record in this area and I now welcome the opportunity to work with the EHRC to further strengthen this. 

‘We will partner with the EHRC to bolster our best practice training and reporting approaches across our business to ensure that our values are understood, lived and acted upon across our organisation. Harassment and abuse have no place in our society or at McDonald’s.’

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