McDonald's UK chief executive Lauren Schultz has admitted the fast-food chain continues to receive complaints of 'bad behaviour' from workers, three years after a sexual harassment scandal was first exposed. The company faced allegations of a toxic culture in which staff as young as 17 endured groping, racism, homophobia, and bullying, often involving managers in franchisee-run restaurants.
Following a BBC investigation in 2023, McDonald's apologised and established a new unit to handle complaints. Schultz claimed its processes are now 'best in class,' but acknowledged that 'bad behaviour' issues 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,' she told the Mirror.
The original investigation included allegations from more than 100 current and former UK staff. One former worker, aged 17 at the time, said a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom, while a shift manager sent sexually explicit images. In Hampshire, a manager allegedly suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes.
Schultz, who took over last September, also announced the launch of what McDonald's calls the UK's largest work experience programme, offering 2,500 paid five-day placements for those aged 25 and under. She insisted the move was not a distraction from the harassment controversy, stating, 'This is not a rebound campaign.' The chain employs 160,000 people in the UK, with 100,000 under 25.
When asked if she would be happy for her 13-year-old daughter to work at McDonald's, Schultz replied, 'I do - they know their first job will be at McDonald's.' She also warned that the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war could force the company to raise prices, though she said meal deals and saver items would remain unchanged.
