More than 100 current and former staffers at McDonald’s outlets in the UK have alleged that a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying has been prevalent in the fast-food joint in the country.
Speaking with BBC, several McDonald’s staffers, some as young as 17 years old, have claimed that they have been groped and harassed almost routinely.
The BBC launched an investigation to understand the working conditions at the fast-food chain after it had signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). In this agreement, McDonald’s pledged that it will protect its staff from sexual harassment.
Back then, McDonald’s asserted that it already had a strong track record in this area. However, the staffers, while speaking to BBC, revealed otherwise.
The media corporation claimed that during its five-month-long investigation, it reached out to McDonald’s staffers asking about their working experiences at the fast-food joint.
The BBC report claimed, that the staffers shared their ordeal and more than 100 allegations were levelled against senior members including Managers of McDonald’s various outlets in the UK. Out of these 100 allegations, 31 were related to sexual assault, and 78 were about sexual harassment. Additionally, 18 staffers made allegations of racism and six others alleged homophobia.
Allegations staffers raised against McDonald’s
- A current staffer (17-year-old) employed at McDonald’s Cheshire outlet alleged that a colleague who was 20 years older than her, hurled racial slurs at her. Reportedly, he said that he wanted to make a “black and white” baby with her and asked to show her private body part.
- A former staffer claimed that she was 17 years old when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. She also added that a shift manager sent her sexually explicit images.
- A manager in McDonald’s Hampshire outlet asked a 16-year-old male worker to perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes (e-cigarettes).
- In Cheshire restaurant, 16-year-old new female starters were pressurised for having sex with a manager
- A current worker in Essex claimed that she faced antisemitic abuses
- A woman staffer alleged that she was called a slur word and subjected to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch
- An Indian-origin worker in Oxfordshire claimed that her crew members spoke in “gibberish” to imitate her. They also called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist.
- In the Wales branch, Male managers and crew members were betting cash on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first
These are some of the allegations that current and former McDonald’s staffers raised against the crew and senior members of the multinational fast food chain.
Responding to these allegations, McDonald’s said it had “fallen short” and it “deeply apologised”. It also stated that all employees deserve to work in a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.
UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said it was “concerned” by the BBC’s findings. They announced that they are launching a new email hotline for this matter.
BBC report added that several staffers claimed that McDonald’s managers at various outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults. In many cases, these staffers shared their ordeal with their colleagues and senior managers but they failed to act on their complaints. Afterwards, many of them were compelled to quit their job.
Furthermore, staffers alleged that managers had sexual relationships with junior members of staff, which is against company policy.
Few staffers shared their ordeal
One current worker stated that her male colleagues saw her as “fresh meat” when she started working at the Nottingham branch. Some female staffers told BBC that they were forced by managers to wear tight uniforms.
A 22-year-old staffer in Norwich, Lucy said, “There is a saying at McDonald’s, “tits on tills” – boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front.”
One 20-year-old Emily said, “It’s the expectation that if you work at McDonald’s, you will be harassed.” She left the McDonald’s Brighton branch last year, reportedly after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way which made her uncomfortable.
Last year, Shelby started working at a McDonald’s restaurant in Berkshire, back then, she was just 16 years of age. She highlighted that older male colleagues used the cramped layout in the kitchen as an excuse to touch junior female staff inappropriately.
Speaking to BBC, she said, “They’d grope stomach, waists, bums. Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I’d be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed.”
She added that last summer, she was standing at the front counter when a 50-year-old staffer came from behind. He grabbed her onto him and pulled her onto his groin.
She said, “I just froze. I felt disgusted.” She told her senior management about these incidents of sexual abuse, but they did nothing. She cited a “toxic work environment” as the reason for her quitting the job in her resignation.
Another staffer in Birmingham alleged that she was smacked on the bottom by a male colleague when she was 19. She reported it to her manager but no action was taken. Reportedly, the act was caught on camera and she had a visible bruise, despite all of it, she was forced to continue working with him forcing her to quit.
While in some cases, McDonald’s did take some actions. But staffers claim that several of the accused were just shifted within the franchise, rather than being fired.
Seemingly, some staffers didn’t raise complaints about this because they didn’t want to risk their job. Apparently, young staff at McDonald’s are often on zero-hours contracts. This means their hours are flexible, but they are at the mercy of shift managers who decide their rotational shifts.
While signing the agreement in February with UK’s equality watchdog, McDonald’s pledged “zero tolerance” on sexual harassment. It also claimed that it will undertake training programmes for its employees. However, staffers highlighted that the senior managers don’t take these training sessions seriously.
Troubles continue for McDonald’s
The working culture at McDonald’s has been facing scrutiny globally. In the United States, the fast-food joint is facing multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed by its employees over sexual harassment allegations.
Earlier, in 2019, McDonald’s chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, was fired when it was revealed that he had inappropriate consensual relationships with McDonald’s employees.
However, the first allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald’s came to light in the UK around five years ago. At that time, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) claimed that it received 1,000 complaints. It was claimed that it was quickly brushed under the carpet as many cases were settled using confidentiality clauses.
It is important to note that McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private-sector employers. It has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants. Around 75% of its workforce are aged between 16 and 25. For many staffers, it is their first job. However, these revelations have marred and put the working culture at McDonald’s in the dock.