McDonald’s has dismissed 18 people after receiving hundreds of allegations relating to sexual harassment in its UK restaurants and franchises.
Speaking to MPs on the business and trade select committee today (14 November), Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s in the UK and Ireland, said the company had received 407 complaints from workers since July.
A BBC investigation found that workers as young as 17 were being groped and harassed, with staff complaining of a toxic working culture where claims of sexual assault, racism and bullying were not taken seriously.
Of the 157 complaints that have been investigated by the independent unit set up by Macrow in July, 17 related to sexual harassment have resulted in disciplinary action. Nine related to bullying, and one concerned racial harassment.
Some complaints being investigated stretch back to the 1980s.
Macrow told MPs that the “truly horrific” claims from workers had been “very difficult to hear”.
“The most important thing in our business is our people. We do everything we can to look after our people,” he said.
“What I’d like to be clear about is that we will tackle them and make sure that we do everything we can to eradicate them from the business. Nothing is more important.”
McDonald’s is one of the UK’s biggest private sector employers, with more than 170,000 staff. Three-quarters are aged 16 to 25. Some 89% of McDonald’s restaurants in the UK are operated by franchisees.
McDonald’s sexual harassment
Worker Protection Bill to become law
In February the fast-food chain signed a legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission which committed it to protecting workers against sexual harassment.
Ian Hodson, the national president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU) has claimed that a complaint has been received at every McDonald’s branch in London.
He said the 1,000 complaints the union had received included allegations of groping and inappropriate language.
Anonymised witness statements presented to MPs described behaviour including a male staff member spraying a young female’s white shirt with water so that it became see-through, crew members asking younger colleagues about their sex lives, and staff being inappropriately touched by older colleagues.
One said: “Posters have been put up in the crew room and on the back of the toilet doors telling us to email the franchise area manager if we have any problems. But why would we talk to him when he is mates with the shift manager who is doing the harassing? McDonald’s isn’t changing. They promote people they know are problems. It goes so high up. You’ve got no-one to turn to.”
McDonald’s legal claim
Last week, law firm Leigh Day launched a legal claim on behalf of McDonald’s workers. It claimed it would be the largest ‘MeToo’-style claim brought in the UK.
It is also bringing age discrimination claims against the fast food chain, as it believes the youngest employees are at the biggest disadvantage at McDonald’s.
Kiran Daurka, a partner in the Leigh Day employment team, said: “Despite the many allegations that the BBC investigation uncovered, it appears that only a few cases have previously been brought against McDonald’s in the employment tribunal, and many of those did not reach a full hearing, which means claims were withdrawn and may have been settled.
I am hoping that by bringing a legal claim, McDonald’s will be forced to make changes to their working practices and put in measures to protect their young staff.” – McDonald’s employee
“MeToo is a powerful social movement that has brought about high-profile individual cases but, even then it took a number of women to come together to amplify each other’s voices with similar stories about the same person. It is a collective voice that we are amplifying in these claims. As a group, our clients can stand together, and together the individual experiences paint a picture of a culture making it harder for McDonald’s to hide behind any rhetoric that poor conduct is as a result of one bad apple and not a more widespread issue of unsafe work practices.”
One of the claimants, Ed, who was 16 when he started working at McDonald’s, claimed a senior manager made sexual comments and repeatedly asked him for sex.
He said: “I believe McDonald’s as a company and their franchises need to be held accountable for the allegations made by young staff, who are often in their first jobs.
“In my case I was exposed to a working environment which was rife with discrimination: homophobia, racism, ableism, xenophobia and harassment, something I witnessed and of which I was a victim. I am hoping that by bringing a legal claim, McDonald’s will be forced to make changes to their working practices and put in measures to protect their young staff.”
Macrow said in a statement: “I am completely determined to root out any behaviour that falls below the high standards of respect, safety and inclusion we demand of everyone at McDonald’s. That is why, in July, I immediately ordered measures to address critical areas we needed to strengthen.
“While we are confident in the first steps we have taken, I am determined to understand what more we can do, and our efforts will need to be far reaching and constantly evolving. We know, however, that new processes will take time to embed fully in each of our 1,500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
“I am personally committed to ensuring all cases brought to our attention are investigated quickly and thoroughly. Where our standards have been breached, or where our processes fall short, I will drive change. I know it takes a great deal of personal courage to speak up and it is my top priority to ensure we act swiftly and decisively on what we hear.”
Kate Palmer, HR advice and consultancy director at Peninsula, said the case should remind employers to review their policies on sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination and assess employees’ awareness of them.
“While a robust policy is the first step in preventing misconduct, organisations should also ensure they have a clear, zero-tolerance attitude towards this behaviour. Similarly, workplace training for managers and workers on how to manage, avoid and report inappropriate actions can go a long way in discouraging all forms of sexual harassment in the workplace, as can providing effective support for affected employees,” she said.
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