McDonald’s apologizes amid UK reports of sexual misconduct and racism.
More than 100 current and former McDonald’s employees have report experiencing regular sexual harassment, racism, and xenophobia at work.
The British state broadcaster BBC, which started looking into the topic in February, filed the investigative report. The study stated that “multiple workers told us that McDonald’s managers at the outlets throughout the UK were accountable for the harassment and assaults.” Senior management are alleged to have ignored objections much too frequently.
A legally-binding agreement between McDonald’s and the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) promising to shield employees from sexual harassment prompted the investigation.
Alistair Macrow, the UK chief executive of McDonald’s, responded to the allegations by saying that “every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald’s UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.” “We sincerely apologize for any offence caused.
The most severe sanctions we are legally permitted to impose, up to and including dismissal, will be used to respond to all breaches of our code of conduct that have been substantiated, he continued.
The claims, which the EHRC said it was “concerned” about, will be investigated “in the context of our current legal agreement with McDonald’s to address sexual harassment of staff in its restaurants,” it was stated.
McDonald’s employees are among the youngest in the UK, with a majority of them being between the ages of 16 and 25. According to the allegation, harassing and groping of employees, some of whom are as young as 17, occurs frequently.
