McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD) is coming under intense criticism in the UK after more than 100 former and current employees spoke out about being harassed and bullied while working at the fast-food chain.
In an investigation by the BBC, it alleged workers as young as 17 had to face sexual harassment, name-calling, workers taking and dealing drugs and unwanted physical contact like punching on a day-to-day basis.
Rishi Sunak said the allegations were “deeply concerning” and Caroline Nokes, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said it was “horrific” that “older managers [were] exploiting what is a very young workforce”.
The fast-food giant has one of the youngest workforces in the UK, with 75% of its 170,000 employees being between 16 and 25 years old.
"There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologise," said Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's UK & Ireland in a company statement.
“Already over 2,000 of our managers have completed full awareness training and nearly all of our restaurant teams are now working within these new protections aimed at creating a safe and respectful workplace.”
In February, McDonald’s signed an agreement with Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) committing to follow multiple measures which would better protect workers.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said she was concerned about the latest reports considering the fast-food company had already agreed to a new framework to improve conditions.
“Every employer, no matter how big or small, is responsible for protecting its workforce. We're determined to continue to crack down on illegal harassment at places of work,” she concluded.
Shares in McDonald’s are down close to 1% in the last five days, having closed on Tuesday at around US$293.