An employee at McDonald’s has expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s culture, stating that there is room for improvement in cleaning it up completely.
The employee, known as Matty for anonymity, mentioned that conversations about personal matters, including sex life, were common among managers and colleagues in the workplace. However, he noted a recent positive shift, describing the environment as more normalized. Matty, who began working at McDonald’s at 16 as a student, advised caution to potential new employees.
Another former worker, who chose to remain unnamed, indicated minimal improvement in the work environment before leaving for a new job earlier this year. When asked if conditions had gotten better, the response was negative.
These observations coincide with McDonald’s announcement of additional measures agreed upon with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the UK to safeguard employees from sexual harassment.
In response to concerns about how staff complaints were handled in UK restaurants, EHRC initially signed a legal agreement with McDonald’s in 2023 to address sexual harassment issues. The agreement, initially set to expire in 2025, has now been extended and strengthened for at least another year.
Earlier this year, over 750 individuals who were under 19 when employed by McDonald’s sought legal representation from the law firm Leigh Day due to claims of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism, and harassment across more than 450 McDonald’s locations.
The EHRC raised alarms to McDonald’s UK franchise owners in March, warning of potential legal consequences for non-compliance. The EHRC emphasized the need for more proactive steps from McDonald’s to address the ongoing issues.
As part of the new agreement, McDonald’s is required to collaborate with external experts on a safeguarding plan for vulnerable employees, ensure independent investigations of complaints against managers, appoint an external auditor for the complaints handling unit, and enhance training for managers and franchisees, covering areas like social media and grooming.
McDonald’s, one of the largest UK employers with 170,000 employees across 1,450 restaurants, has acknowledged the need for continuous improvement in creating a safe work environment. The company highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance workplace safety and expressed confidence in the effectiveness of their existing measures.
Recent actions by McDonald’s follow a BBC report in 2023 detailing workplace issues such as sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying. In response, McDonald’s engaged consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to audit its restaurants.
McDonald’s spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to implementing comprehensive safety initiatives and welcomed the formalization of measures within the EHRC agreement. They expressed confidence in the effectiveness of the implemented measures and their impact on the well-being of McDonald’s employees and franchisees.