Working at McDonald’s was “one of the worst experiences of my life”, Christine recalls, looking back on her seven years at the fast food giant which ended, she claims, with her being sexually harassed by a manager.
After moving to London, he started working at McDonald’s in 2011, thinking “it would be amazing”. Now, he says, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
He described the South London branch’s toxic workplace culture to the BBC, where he claimed managers played with junior staff, touching “everyone’s bum” and saying “inappropriate things”.
The publication of the allegations brought renewed focus on the fast-food chain as it faces a wave of sexual-harassment lawsuits — and continues on from the dismissal of its CEO earlier in 2019 over inappropriate workplace relationships.
Stockroom incident
For Christine, things got worse when in 2018, she said, she was sexually harassed in the stock room by her manager.
Feeling unwell, Christine went to the stockroom to ask the manager’s permission to go home but was instead met with “really inappropriate sexual advice”.
“He pulled my pants down in the stock room and wanted me to do inappropriate things,” she said, adding that she was not “happy” with the advances and the experience left her “terrified”.
Christine said she went out and complained to her business manager.
But he was told to “go back to the kitchen and work with him” after the business manager spoke to the man in question. When she objected, she was told to call the police. “So I was like, good. I packed my things and went home,” he said.
Christine never worked at McDonald’s again, although she claims that the manager still works there.
Union said McDonald’s swept complaints under the carpet
McDonald’s said the experience Christine described was “unacceptable and has no place in our restaurants”.
While McDonald’s has not responded fortuneAsked for comment, it told the BBC that the safety of its team and customers was an “absolute priority” and encouraged “all employees to speak up if there are any issues”.
The total number of sexual harassment complaints made by McDonald’s workers in the UK is unclear.
But in the past four years, union officials at the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) say they have received at least 1,000 complaints from women claiming they have been abused by their colleagues.
In 2019, BFAWU officials said the company was “sweeping under the rug” sexual harassment complaints. He added that workers had been “victimized” for filing complaints and some had been paid compensation on the condition that they sign non-disclosure agreements.
Concerns about inadequate processes for dealing with allegations were raised by employees through unions, prompting the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to get involved.
As a result, McDonald’s has signed a legal agreement with the EHRC to protect staff from sexual harassment. The EHRC told the BBC that it “did not enter into a lighthearted agreement”.
As part of the agreement announced today (February 8), the fast food giant has committed to several measures including anti-harassment training for employees and the introduction of training for managers to “identify areas of risk” and “take steps to prevent sexual harassment”.
Now the equality watchdog is monitoring McDonald’s to make sure it complies with the law. Meanwhile, it is taking action to require US businesses – where there have also been allegations of sexual harassment by workers over the years – to sign similar agreements.
The above toxic behavior
Revelations of a toxic culture at McDonald’s came in the wake of the company’s overthrow of the last chief executive for violating policies on work relations.
Just last month, former Mcdonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook was fined $400,000 by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for “concealing misconduct” regarding a sexual relationship with a younger employee.
McDonald’s fired its British-born boss in 2019 for violating its policy on workplace relations, after discovering he had a consensual relationship with an employee.
At the time, the board ruled he was fired without cause, entitled to more than $40 million in compensation, benefits and stock, as part of a “separation agreement”
The company claims he denied having any other affair “physical or non-physical” with McDonald’s employees. But further investigation after a tip-off revealed hidden relationships with other staff members, including emails and messages with nude photos and videos confirming his affair with at least two other employees.
The chain accused Easterbrook of trying to cover his tracks by deleting the intimate images from his inbox, but they remained on the company’s email servers.
As a result, McDonald decided to sue him to return the full severance package he received.
The SEC announced in January that it had “charged” McDonald’s former CEO and president with making “false and misleading statements to investors about the circumstances leading to the termination”.
The regulator said Easterbrook and McDonald were not honest with investors about the reasons that led to the termination of Easterbrook, and this “allowed to retain substantial equity compensation that otherwise would have been forfeited”.
Easterbrook has agreed to pay a penalty of $400,000, without admitting or denying the claims.
Prior to his shortfall, Easterbrook, who grew up in Watford, Hertfordshire, was nicknamed the “Wizard of Watford” for doubling the value of McDonald’s shares during his tenure.
He led the company from March 2015 to November 2019, having previously led its UK operations. During that time, he was also praised for revitalizing the chain’s menu, renovating stores and using better ingredients.
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