BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

McDonald’s Finally Has A Plan To Reduce Harassment And Discrimination

Following
This article is more than 2 years old.

For several years, McDonald’s has been under fire by employees who accuse the fast-food giant of sexual harassment and discrimination.  Finally, McDonald’s has responded. Starting next year, McDonald’s will mandate worker training to combat harassment, discrimination and violence in its restaurants. 

In 2018, McDonald’s workers in ten cities walked out to protest the rampant sexual harassment in the fast-food chain’s restaurants. Harassment accusations included blatant sexual propositions and groping of employees. Questionable behavior went all the way to the top, and in 2019, McDonald’s fired former CEO Steve Easterbrook for having a consensual relationship with an employee. McDonald’s also faces discrimination charges, as 52 Black former McDonald’s franchisees have filed suit alleging they were denied the same opportunities as white franchisees. McDonald’s current president and CEO Chris Kempczinski pledged to bring about culture change, but this is the company’s biggest initiative regarding these issues thus far.

One problem facing McDonald’s is 93% of McDonald’s restaurants are owned by franchisees. Up until now, McDonald’s seemed hesitant to get involved with these issues at the franchise level. In 2018, in response to the employee walkouts regarding harassment, McDonald's released the following statement to the Associated Press: “We have policies, procedures and training in place that are specifically designed to prevent sexual harassment at our company and company-owned restaurants, and we firmly believe that our franchisees share this commitment.” In other words, the franchisees were on their own.

Now, McDonald’s is finally taking responsibility and issuing new standards, even at the franchise level. A McDonald’s press release reported, “All 39,000 McDonald’s restaurants, both company-owned and franchisee locations, in more than 100 countries will be required to adhere to these standards. Implementation will be supported by a suite of policies, tools, trainings and reporting mechanisms.”

Most importantly, McDonald’s isn’t solely offering training, but they are making efforts to ensure that the training is effective. Kempczinski told the Associated Press that the individual restaurants must also collect feedback on the store’s work environment from employees and managers and share those results with staff. He says that corporate will make efforts to be sure employees feel safe, both physically and emotionally.

Assessing the climate within the restaurants on a regular basis is a key step towards ensuring culture change. Many organizations avoid collecting feedback because they don’t want to know if their training is ineffective or if their employees are unhappy. By taking this extra step, McDonald’s is sending a clear signal that they’re not just going through the motions but truly care about bringing change.

Still some questions remain. For example, franchisees will be allowed to choose their own training programs, which calls into question the standardization and quality control of the training that will be offered. For the same reason that franchisees can’t come up with their own french fry recipe, centralized control of the training programs would likely be beneficial.

High employee turnover provides another challenge for the fast-food giant.  Although details are still being worked out, employees will most likely participate in training upon joining McDonald’s and then annually after that. “If you’re not constantly talking about values and keeping them in the fore, if you get complacent, then perhaps they’re not as obvious to people or they’re not as inspiring as they could be,” Kempczinski told the Associated Press. 

Because of its size, McDonald’s has the opportunity to set new standards. Kempczinski said he hopes McDonald’s action becomes a model for the restaurant industry.

Almost three years have passed since McDonald’s employees walked out as a result of their frustration with the lack of corporate involvement in preventing sexual harassment. Progress has been slow, but the organization is clearly moving forward. Clara Kim, vice president of consulting services at the anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN, said, “We commend McDonald’s for setting these standards to help ensure that everyone working at a McDonald’s restaurant is provided with a safe and respectful workplace and that all restaurants are held accountable for this important work.”

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website