How McDonald's workers were sexually abused, racially discriminated in the UK

It’s possible that McDonald’s will have to close its stores in the United Kingdom. According to an explosive BBC investigation, more than 100 UK McDonald’s employees — many of them minors — were subjected to harassment and sexual assault by their management. The BBC began its investigation into the American fast-food behemoth in February after the company’s signing of a contract with Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to shield employees from sexual harassment. Let’s take a closer look at the matter. Also read: The Sad Truth Behind Happy Meals: How McDonald's is exploiting child workers McDonald’s toxic culture uncovered According to a BBC article released on Tuesday, of the more than 100 claimed violations of the contract with the country’s equality agency, 78 involved sexual harassment, 31 involved sexual assault, 18 involved racism, and six involved homophobia. The investigation revealed instances where McDonald’s supervisors allegedly gave underage employees obscene photographs, forced employees into performing sexual activities, and used racist insults towards coworkers throughout the course of the following five months. The British outlet stated that one of the most disturbing allegations came from a 17-year-old worker at a McDonald’s in Cheshire, England, who said her 37-year-old manager tried to show her his penis, used racial slurs, and that he wanted to have a “black and white” child with her. [caption id=“attachment_12884442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People walk past McDonald’s stores in London, Britain. Reuters[/caption] Another employee at a location in Norwich, England, told the outlet that the managers there had a policy of placing “attractive people at the front” of the fast food restaurant: “T**s on tills — boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter,” the 22-year-old worker added. Unidentified current employees of the fast-food company claim that their male coworkers refer to them as “fresh meat,” and other female employees claim that male superiors made them wear too-small uniforms. A group of 16-year-old females who were new to working for McDonald’s at a Cheshire location also said they were preyed upon by a manager who forced them to have sex, the BBC discovered. According to the outlet, a former employee in Plymouth, England, said that when she was 17 a senior boss grabbed her bottom and a shift manager emailed her sexually graphic pictures. A manager at a McDonald’s in Hampshire, England, urged a 16-year-old male employee to engage in sexual activity in exchange for e-cigarettes, the employee claimed. Male managers and employees reportedly wagered cash on who would have sex with a new hire first over in Wales, England. Additionally, the BBC reported that there was an outbreak of gonorrhoea among staff at a McDonald’s outlet in Northern Ireland due to the prevalence of sexual connections between coworkers. The outlet also discovered numerous instances of verbal abuse. In one instance, an Indian-born employee at a McDonald’s in Oxfordshire, England, claimed that staff colleagues imitated her native tongue by speaking “gibberish” and referring to her as a Pakistani terrorist. Managers turning blind-eye Other concerning claims uncovered throughout the BBC investigation included managers turning a blind eye to the abuses. Shelby, a 16-year-old who started working at a McDonald’s in Berkshire, England, last year, told the BBC that older male coworkers would “grope stomachs, waists, and bums,” using the kitchen’s confined design as a justification. “Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I’d be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed,” she said. Young women were “warned” to avoid a certain male employee in his 50s, Shelby said, and this caused her to work in “constant fear.” She remembered, however, that she had still been the victim of this man; one-day last summer, he had approached from behind and had pulled her into his groyne. She said, “I just froze. I felt disgusted.” Then Shelby resigned from her position, citing a “toxic work environment.” Although nothing was done, she also told high management about the improper action. Meanwhile, Chinyere, 17, said that a much older, male coworker at a McDonald’s in Cheshire, England, harassed her racially and sexually. Chinyere was advised to ignore the man and continue working after she reported the assault to a senior female coworker who was in charge of the wellbeing of the workers. According to the report, Chinyere’s abuser wasn’t fired until the teen’s stepfather wrote to the franchise, corporate headquarters, and police department. [caption id=“attachment_12883632” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A view of the McDonald’s logo in London, Britain. Reuters[/caption] Also read: Happy Meals: Why McDonald’s is revamping its classic burgers McD’s apology Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said in a statement there was “simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination” at the company. “Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald’s UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that, we deeply apologise,” he told the BBC, adding_,_ “We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal.” Macrow said that more than 2,000 managers had completed full awareness training and that most restaurant teams were now working within the new protections which aim to create “a safe and respectful workplace,” adding that the company has stringent rules to ensure its workplaces around the world are safe and respectful. It is unknown if McDonald’s has already fired any employees as a result of the allegations of sexual abuse. According to the EHRC, “Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by another employee if the employer has not taken all possible steps to prevent it from happening.” What legal action McDonald’s is up against in reaction to the BBC’s findings is not immediately obvious. For further potential victims of harassment at McDonald’s restaurants around the UK, the EHRC set up an anonymous email hotline. Also read: One McDonald’s Big Mac costs over Rs 600 in Switzerland? Here's what we know Possibility of shutting outlets McDonald’s, one of the biggest employers in the private sector in the UK, employs 117,000 Britons across its 1,450 outlets in the Commonwealth. According to the BBC, of those workers, 75 per cent are between the ages of 16 and 25. The chair of the Business and Trade Committee responded to the allegations by saying that McDonald’s could cancel franchise agreements if branches “are not following labour law,” according to the report. The claims, according to MP Darren Jones, were “some of the most appalling” he had ever seen. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson called the allegations “deeply concerning.” Also read: Unhappy meal: Why was a flyer fined $1,874 over McMuffins in Australia? Other controversies The business has been attempting to improve its corporate image following a high-profile boardroom sex scandal and charges it had a culture of late-night drinking and partying, according to The Telegraph. After it came to light that he had an affair with a staff member, the company’s former CEO, Steve Easterbrook, was sacked in November 2019. A termination package totalling tens of millions of dollars was given to Easterbrook. But after discovering proof of additional, previously undisclosed sexual encounters with employees, McDonald’s sued him to reclaim the money. In the United States, the fast-food giant was slapped with civil fines totalling $212,754 (more than Rs 1.73 crores) for making children work unpaid shifts at a Kentucky McDonald’s. With inputs from agencies