McDonald’s signs deal with UK equalities watchdog over sexual harassment complaints

McDonald’s has signed a legally binding agreement with the UK’s equalities watchdog vowing to improve its handling of sexual harassment claims following a wave of complaints from staff.

As part of the agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), McDonald’s has committed to implementing anti-harassment training and improving its complaints procedure, among a host of measures aimed at cleaning up its workplace culture.

The exact number of sexual harassment complaints from UK staff is unknown, but in 2019 the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union, which represents employees, said it had received at least 1,000 reports of women being harassed by managers and supervisors.

The agreement with the UK watchdog follows similar concerns over the fast-food chain’s handling of sexual harassment claims in the US, where some workers have gone on strike over the issue and filed a class-action lawsuit.

McDonald’s, which employs more than 120,000 staff across the UK, is legally obliged to deliver on its promises under the terms of the 2010 Equality Act. “Employers are legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by another employee, and the employer has not taken all steps they could to prevent it from happening,” said the EHRC.

“As one of the UK’s leading employers, the safety and wellbeing of our people is our absolute priority,” said Alistair Macrow, McDonald’s UK and Ireland chief executive.

Macrow added that the agreement with the EHRC would “bolster our best-practice training and reporting approaches across our business to ensure that our values are understood, lived and acted upon across our organisation”.

The agreement applies to all of McDonald’s 1,300 outlets across the UK, including its franchised outlets.

“We are pleased that McDonald’s has signed this agreement to signal their intent to make their restaurants safe places to work,” said EHRC chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner. “The improvements they put in place can set an example for others to follow, whether in the hospitality industry or elsewhere.”

McDonald’s also said it would carry out an anonymous survey of workers on the issue of workplace safety as part of the agreement.

In 2021, the fast-food chain said all of its 2mn employees worldwide would take mandatory anti-harassment training after more than 50 staff filed claims and took legal action against the company.

Under the Worker Protection bill, which is making its way through parliament, MPs are considering placing a duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.