An investigation by the BBC found that sexual harassment and assault are rampant within McDonald’s U.K. branches. The broadcaster began its investigation into sexual harassment and assault at the fast food giant in February, after the company pledged to protect its staff from that kind of abuse and signed an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) agreement, which was legally binding.
At the time, the BBC reports that a McDonald’s representative said, “We already have a strong track record in this area,” but the company has now “deeply apologized” after “falling short.”
In their investigation, the BBC spoke to employees over a five-month period about working at the chain. The results were horrific: out of 100 complaints, 31 were about sexual assault, while 78 were about sexual harassment. They also had 18 accusations of racism and six of homophobia. The allegations came to light about five years ago after the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) said it received 1,000 complaints, but there was little reporting on them. The BBC suggests that this could be to do with settlements that were under NDAs.
Workers said that more often than not, managers were the offenders when it came to inappropriate behavior. Senior managers said that they mostly did not act despite being aware of what was happening and that managers and junior staff members have sexual relationships, something which is against company policy.
Training on harassment is also something that the chain does not do very well, with an employee saying that a manager made drinks while “speeding through” a video presentation on the subject.
On staff member said that if you work in a McDonald’s, it’s an “expectation” that you will be harassed. Another staff member, a 17 year old, who said she was harassed for months, both sexually and racially, said that she first raised the issue with a female colleague who dismissed her concerns and told her to ignore the much older man’s advances. She eventually told her stepdad, who went to the police and wrote to McDonald’s about her ordeal.
McDonald’s apologized for the “abhorrent and unacceptable” experience and said that the man was dismissed “within three days.” They told the BBC, “It takes a great deal of courage to speak up and as soon as we were made aware of the situation the individual in question was offered both internal and independent external support.”
Workers said that rather than being fired, perpetrators would just be moved from one branch to another, and some didn’t speak up due to the fear of losing work; many McDonald’s workers are on zero-hour contracts, meaning that employers do not have to guarantee a set number of hours for an employee and that person works when they are needed.
This goes against all of the awards that the chain has won, many of which have been recent and for “good work culture.” They won the Working Mums Overall Top Employer last year for the second year running, as well as their Best for Career Progression for Women in 2022.
Chief executive of McDonald’s UK & Ireland, Alisster Macrow, said, “Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald’s UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologize.
“We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal.”
(featured image: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
