McDonald's employees in the U.K. and Ireland allege a "toxic culture" of harassment and abuse

Many current and former employees allege "a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying"

By Michael La Corte

Deputy Food Editor

Published July 18, 2023 3:00PM (EDT)

McDonald's restaurant on April 28, 2022 in San Leandro, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
McDonald's restaurant on April 28, 2022 in San Leandro, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In the U.K., current and former McDonald's workers are rallying to speak out about a "toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying," as reported by BBC, which has been investigating the working conditions at McDonald's for months. During their investigation, the publication found ten specific instances of harassment and abuse, while workers allege that managers often downplay the complaints or, in some cases, actually instigate the harassment. 

"Multiple workers told us that McDonald's managers at the outlets across the U.K. were responsible for the harassment and assaults," the BBC reported, while former worker who went by Emily said that "it's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's you will be harassed."

"Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald's U.K. deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace," Alistar Macrow,  the chief executive of McDonalds in the U.K. and Ireland, said in a statement to the BBC.  "There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologize."


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