McDonald’s workers speak out over sexual abuse claims
McDonald's workers speak out over sexual abuse claims BBC
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Allegations of Toxic Culture at McDonald’s UK Outlets
By Noor Nanji, Zoe Conway & Ellie Layhe
A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonald’s.
The BBC was told that workers, some as young as 17, are being groped and harassed almost routinely.
The UK equality watchdog said it was “concerned” by the BBC’s findings and is launching a new email hotline.
McDonald’s said it had “fallen short” and it “deeply apologized”.
It added that all employees deserved to work in a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.
The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald’s in February, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.
At the time, McDonald’s insisted: “We already have a strong track record in this area.”
But our investigation has revealed a very different picture.
Over a five-month period, we reached out to McDonald’s workers to ask about their experiences of working there. Of the more than 100 allegations from employees we spoke to, 31 related to sexual assault, and 78 related to sexual harassment.
We also heard 18 allegations of racism, while six people made allegations of homophobia.
Warning – this article contains distressing content
Claims the BBC has heard include:
- A 17-year-old current employee in Cheshire who says a colleague 20 years older than her called her a racial slur word and asked to show her his penis, and said he wanted to make a “black and white” baby with her
- A former worker who was 17 when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. A shift manager also sent her sexually explicit images
- A manager in Hampshire who suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes
- A manager who preyed on 16-year-old new female starters in a Cheshire restaurant, trying to pressurize them into having sex
- A woman who said she was called a slur word and subject to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch
- A current worker in Essex who says she faced antisemitic abuse
- A current worker in Oxfordshire, originally from India, who says crew members spoke in “gibberish” to imitate her and called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist
- Male managers and crew members at a branch in Wales making jokes about putting cash bets on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first
- An outbreak of gonorrhea at a branch in Northern Ireland where sexual relationships between staff members were commonplace
Multiple workers told us that McDonald’s managers at the outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults.
All too often, senior managers are said to have failed to act on complaints.
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Staff have also told the BBC of sexual relationships between managers and more junior members of staff, which is against company policy.
Young women have described feeling constantly judged about how they looked.
One current worker said she was seen by her male colleagues as “fresh meat” when she started at her branch in Nottingham. Other female workers told us they were forced by managers to wear uniforms that were too tight for them.
“There is a saying at McDonald’s, ‘tits on tills’ – boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front,” said Lucy, who’s 22 and worked in Norwich.
“It’s the expectation that if you work at McDonald’s, you will be harassed,” added Emily, who’s 20. She left her branch in Brighton last year, after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way and making her feel uncomfortable.
McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private-sector employers. The fast-food giant has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants.
Its staff are also one of the country’s youngest workforces. Three quarters of its employees are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.
Most workers are not directly employed by the company as McDonald’s uses a franchise system, which means individual operators are licensed
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres
- SDG 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
- SDG 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices
- SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Number of reported cases of sexual assault and harassment in McDonald’s outlets
- Number of employees who have received proper training on preventing sexual harassment
- Number of formal complaints made by employees and the resolution rate
- Number of managers held accountable for failing to address complaints
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres | Number of reported cases of sexual assault and harassment in McDonald’s outlets |
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment | Number of employees who have received proper training on preventing sexual harassment |
| SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices | Number of formal complaints made by employees and the resolution rate |
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all | Number of managers held accountable for failing to address complaints |
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Source: bbc.com
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