McDonald’s is now “best in class” at dealing with complaints by workers, insists new UK boss, after fast food giant was rocked by damning allegations
The new boss of McDonald’s in the UK admits it is still getting complaints from workers three years after a sexual harassment scandal was first exposed.
The fast food giant was accused of having a toxic culture in which staff as young as 17 suffered a catalogue of abuse, including groping, racism, homophobia, and bullying. Many of the claims were against managers in the firm’s franchisee-run restaurants.
After an initial BBC investigation in 2023, McDonald’s apologised and set up a new unit to deal with complaints.
American Lauren Schultz, chief executive of McDonald’s in the UK and Ireland, claimed its processes were now “best in class”.
Yet it came as she also admitted it was still having to deal with the result of what she called “bad behaviour”. She told the Mirror: “We have a handling unit and they are tier based in terms of severity.
READ MORE: Ex-McDonald’s chef shares Big Mac sauce recipe — and there’s no tomato sauce in itREAD MORE: McDonald’s hires humanoid robots to serve customers and carry trays of fast food“We look into them and assess them and from there make sure that we have the right processes in place to hold people accountable if they persist. We have not seen an over abundance of them. I’m not going to be naive and say we have no bad behaviour issues, but they have been dramatically reduced.
“I think our franchisee base truly understands the policies we have. I would uphold us as best in industry at this point on our safeguarding programmes.”
She added: “The issues that we are solving within our restaurant space aren’t just McDonald’s issues, I think they are systemic industry issues. Our processes, I think, make us best in class.”
The ongoing complaints she was referring to are believed to cover topics across the aboard.
The original BBC investigation included allegations from more than 100 current and recent UK staff at McDonald’s outlets. They included a former worker who was 17 when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant allegedly choked her and grabbed her bottom. She says a shift manager also sent her sexually explicit images. Elsewhere, a manager in Hampshire was said to have suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes.
Ms Shultz, who took over last September, was speaking as McDonald’s announced the launch of what it called the UK’s largest work experience programme.
The chain is offering 2,500 paid five-day placements in the first year to young people aged 25 and under.
Ms Shultz insisted the move was not an attempt to deflect attention from the harassment controversy. “This is not a rebound campaign,” is how she put it. “This is something that we have been building for a year based on wanting to create experiences for young people.
“We know they want to get into the workplace but they can’t because they haven’t had that first job.”
McDonald’s already offers work experience but on a more localised basis. The new move means it is company-wide in the UK. Around 90% of its restaurants are run by franchisees who have an average seven outlets each. Of its 160,000 employees in the UK, 100,000 are aged under 25.
Those under aged 18 doing work experience will be paid a recommended £9.62 an hour, and over that £12.76.
Ms Shultz has 13-year-old daughter and was asked whether, given claims made about the chain’s culture, if she would be totally happy for her to work in its restaurants. “I do – they know their first job will be at McDonald’s,” she said.
It came she also warned the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war could force it to raise its prices.
“Like any business we have to measure cost pressures with where prices need to go,” she said, insisting it would remain value for money compared to its competitors.
“There is a predicted slight price increase,” adding that its meal deal and saver items would remain the same, and it was “in deliberations” about when prices would have to go up.
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