McDonald's cracking down on sexual abuse following 'serious allegations'
McDonald’s plans to introduce new measures in response to ‘serious allegations’ of abuse inside the fast-food giant.
The fast-food chain has faced growing scrutiny in recent years over claims of harassment and mistreatment within its restaurants. In 2023, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and McDonald’s UK signed a legally-binding Section 23 agreement under the Equality Act 2006 to address concerns about how sexual-harassment complaints had been handled in its UK restaurants.
The EHRC is now extending its original plan, which will involve training McDonald's restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales. The new training will centre on preventing the grooming of young employees, and the use of social media.
McDonald’s says as part of the updated agreement it will tighten up its risk checks and keep encouraging staff to speak up if they feel something is wrong. It’s also bringing in outside experts to help create a new safeguarding plan for vulnerable workers, covering every McDonald’s restaurant, both company-owned and franchised.
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An external body will review whether McDonald’s is handling sexual harassment claims appropriately, the EHRC confirmed.
"After serious allegations were raised, we decided we needed to update the action plan with stronger actions that were more specific to the way McDonald's operates,” said Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC.
"We're pleased with the significant steps McDonald's has agreed to take towards a safer working environment for its staff and recognise the hard work they've done so far."
The BBC began investigating conditions at McDonald’s after the watchdog agreement was signed. More than 100 current and former staff told the investigation they had experienced sexual harassment, assault, racism, or bullying.
McDonald’s apologised and created a new unit to handle complaints, but since then, the BBC says over 160 more people have come forward, and the EHRC says it has received reports of around 300 harassment incidents.
McDonald’s has welcomed the new measures and said the agreement has been signed for the EHRC to monitor the improvements the chain has already introduced. In a statement provided to FOODbible, a spokesperson said: "Over the last three years, alongside our franchisees, we have embedded an extensive set of robust and far-reaching initiatives, as part of our steadfast commitment to ensuring a safe working environment in McDonald's restaurants.
"We welcome the fact that these measures have been formalised within the latest EHRC agreement. This will build on the significant progress we have already made in this space.
"The agreement incorporates many of our existing measures which have been developed in consultation with leading experts. This includes a range of initiatives, from enhanced training programmes and onboarding practices, to the launch of a new digital Speak Up channel designed with our crew - for our crew, providing a 24/7 channel that reflects the way young people feel most comfortable engaging.
"We are confident the measures we have implemented are working and making a difference to the 148,000 people currently employed by McDonald's and our Franchisees across the UK today. In the latest anonymous employee survey, 95% of people are aware of ways in which they can speak up.
"We look forward to continuing our work with the EHRC and believe it will help us remain at the forefront of the industry when it comes to creating a safe and respectful workplace culture that embeds safeguarding across every one of our restaurants."