McDonald’s workers make fresh harassment claims

McDonald’s workers have said they are still facing sexual abuse and harassment, a year after the boss promised to tidy up behaviour at the quick-food chain.

One 19-year-ancient worker, Matt, told the BBC some of his colleagues were scared of going into work, and that managers would “touch up” other members of staff.

Since the BBC’s original investigation into the corporation, the UK equity watchdog has heard 300 reported incidents of harassment. It now plans to intervene again.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said the corporation had undertaken “extensive work” over the history year to ensure it has industry-leading practices in place to keep its workers secure.

The UK boss of McDonald’s has been summoned on Tuesday to respond MPs’ questions for a second period, including over claims of sexual abuse.

Warning – this piece contains distressing content

• A worker quit her job in the West Midlands at the complete of 2023, after she says managers inappropriately touched her and customers sexually harassed her. When she raised it, she says she was told to “suck it up”.
• A 16-year-ancient current employee based in the West Midlands says he was bullied, shouted at and sworn at by managers.
• A female worker, 20, says a male manager sent her topless pictures. She left her McDonald’s branch in the East of England in August.

These claims all relate to events after November 2023, when the boss of McDonald’s UK, Alistair Macrow first appeared in front of parliament’s Business and Trade Committee.

Mr Macrow told MPs then that the firm was taking action to enhance working conditions, after the BBC uncovered widespread concerns over the treatment of staff.

However, one current and two former workers from different parts of the country, claim that the restaurant audits that were promised, were stage-managed by the branches.

More than 700 current and former junior employees are now taking legal action against the firm, accusing it of failing to protect them.

Matt said he quit his McDonald’s branch in the Midlands last year because of what he calls a “toxic” work surroundings.

He said he was bullied for having a learning disability and an eye state.

“And then it was stuff you noticed, managers and staff being racist to other staff. Managers trying to touch other staff up,” he said.

He said some staff members felt scared to leave into work, because they feared something “horrible” happening.

Matt said the work population had not changed by the period he left in May.

Alan, not his real name, said he has been repeatedly subjected to “degrading and humiliating” verbal abuse by his colleagues at a McDonald’s branch in southwest Scotland.

“It’s just homophobic slurs a lot, sometimes to my face, sometimes behind my back,” the 19-year-ancient said.

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When he reported the issue to a elder manager, he says he was told it was “just a bit of banter”.

Alan has worked in other quick-food restaurants where he said homophobia was taken more seriously.

“It just seems like McDonald’s don’t worry as much,” he said.

Claire, not her real name, who worked at a branch in the Midlands until May 2023, says a shift manager asked her for sex in profitability for extra shifts, which she refused. She was 17, he was in his 30s.

“You don’t expect that to happen,” she said. “It was totally inappropriate.”

Like most McDonald’s workers, Claire was employed on a zero-hours agreement

McDonald’s outlets are run as franchises, so local managers are responsible for employing the staff for their restaurants. Across the UK, 89% of their workers are on zero-hours contracts.

McDonald’s says workers can choose to switch to minimum guaranteed hours. But we have spoken to 50 workers across the country who declare they were not given that selection.

Some workers told the BBC the insecure hours leads to an imbalance of power. Others, however, said zero-hours contracts worked well for them.

Claire says she felt “dependent” on her managers for work. “I was always asking for more shifts, as I needed more money,” she said.

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A McDonald’s spokesperson said that in 2018, it offered all employees the selection of a flexible or guaranteed hours agreement, and that every staff room should still display information on how to request one.

“Additionally, after four weeks in role, every recent employee has a formal exchange with management – in which managers check that employees are aware of the alternative of a guaranteed hours agreement,” the corporation said.

The corporation said it did not recognise the incident where a manager asked for sex in profitability for shifts. “If provided with sufficient information we would ensure a packed investigation is carried out, and appropriate action taken if essential,” the corporation said.

Most McDonald’s staff are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.

Even elder managers are often youthful.

Elliott, not his real name, was in expense of a store in the South of England by his early twenties. He left last February.

“If I had a sister, or if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t desire them working in McDonald’s,” he said.

When the McDonald’s boss spoke to MPs in 2023 he said the corporation had stopped a habit of moving managers around so they could avoid disciplinary action.

But Elliott says that days after Mr Macrow gave evidence, a manager was moved to his store to avoid being disciplined, following allegations they had sent sexually explicit messages to female colleagues who were 16-18 years ancient.

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Following the BBC investigation, McDonald’s brought in outside consultants, worth Waterhouse Cooper (PwC), to audit their restaurants and check on the wellbeing of their staff. But Elliott says the franchise he worked for “rigged” its inspection in February.

“They were conference the best employees, hand-plucked from different stores,” he said. “The people that can be coached on the correct answers.”

According to Elliot the audit gave the restaurant a 100% rating. Yet, he told us, two months before the audit, a manager working there had been accused of performing a Nazi salute to a Jewish employee. He said PwC was not told of this allegation.

“I ponder I am a bit traumatised by it,” he said. “And I ponder I’ll continue to have impoverished memories of my employment for the rest of my life.”

PwC said that while it doesn’t comment on person clients, its site visits are “subject to a stringent set of processes” and are refined as required.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said PwC’s independent site visits “play a crucial role” in assessing each restaurant against specific criteria and ensuring standards are met.

“In the few instances where our expectations have not been met, we have taken prompt corrective action,” the spokesperson said.

“The assessment procedures are under constant review by PwC and were refined early in the programme to ensure that employee interviews – which form part of the assessment – are selected randomly by independent assessors, further safeguarding the integrity of the procedure.”

The BBC first began investigating working conditions at McDonald’s in February 2023, after the corporation signed a legally binding agreement with the equity and Human Rights percentage (EHRC), in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

After our investigation was published in July 2023, McDonald’s apologised and set up a recent unit to deal with complaints.

The EHRC also set up a dedicated hotline for abuse claims.

More than 160 people approached the BBC with allegations after our initial investigation, while 300 incidents were reported to the EHRC.

Now, the watchdog says it is taking stronger action against the quick-food chain.

In a recent statement provided exclusively to the BBC, the EHRC said: “We are actively working with McDonalds to update our ongoing legal agreement in light of solemn allegations raised by our work with the corporation, and the BBC investigation.”

Its action schedule will involve strengthening the existing measures – which included providing more training and conducting a survey of workers – as well as announcing recent steps, the BBC understands.

McDonald’s said the agreement with the EHRC was signed “with the intention that it continues to evolve to ensure the robust measures we have in place are aligned with any updated guidance”.

Separately, law firm Leigh Day said it had been instructed to commence legal action against McDonald’s by hundreds of staff and former staff, with more than 450 restaurants implicated in the claims.

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A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “Ensuring the 168,000 people that work in McDonald’s restaurants are secure is the most significant responsibility for both us and our franchisees, and we have undertaken extensive work over the last year to ensure we have industry-leading practices in place to back this priority.

“Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action.”

The corporation said: “Our relentless focus on eliminating all forms of harassment at McDonald’s is led by a newly created throng and informed by the encounter and guidance of external experts.”

It said it had rolled out corporation-wide programmes to enhance safeguarding, drive awareness and enhance training, and in addition to the four existing channels, it had introduced an additional way for employees to talk up, confidentially, at any period, allowing employees to “instantly raise issues digitally”, and which was “specifically designed to ensure they feel empowered to talk up”.

It also said its recent investigations unit was “dedicated to rooting out any behaviour that falls below the high standards” it demands of its workers.

“We are confident that we are taking significant and significant steps to tackle the unacceptable behaviours facing every organisation,” the spokesperson added.

It said its latest anonymous employee survey showed that 92% of its franchisees’ people are now comfortable speaking up, and 93% depend management will act.

“However, we recognize that we must be constantly vigilant, and we will test and confront any behaviour that falls below those standards,” it said.

• update it: The charity Victim back suggests telling your manager, HR representative or trade union
• Keep a record: Include dates, times and details of any incidents. Save any relevant emails.
• Get assist: Victim back operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live gossip service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live gossip at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-gossip.
• Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, update this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this narrative, information and back is available via the BBC Action Line.

Some of the names in this narrative have been changed to protect identities.