McDonald's Hit With HUGE 'Sex For Shifts' Scandal!

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Fast food giant McDonald’s is facing a jaw-dropping “sex for shifts” scandal in the UK. More than 700 workers across the country levied harassment claims against many of the company’s store managers.

According to multiple reports, restaurant managers across the country are being accused of a variety of sickening things, including inappropriately touching young female employees during shifts, asking teenage staffers about their sexual histories, and even demanding sex in exchange for favorably scheduling employees on their shifts!! What the f**k?!

One former teenage employee who was 17 and working at a West Midlands branch of the fast food corp in 2023 before quitting due to the alleged harassment spoke to the BBC about her experiences. Choosing to remain anonymous, and identifying herself only by the pseudonym Claire, the young woman claimed she was on a zero-hours contract with a manager in his 30s who would demand sex in exchange for scheduling her on shifts.

Seriously?! So some much older dude has complete power over this young woman’s work schedule — and thus, her income — and he allegedly used it to sexually exploit the young woman?!

Gross…

Even worse, when Claire tried to raise the issue with other McDonald’s managers, she was told to “suck it up.” She said:

“You don’t expect that to happen. It was totally inappropriate.”

No kidding…

Another anonymous female worker who was 20 when she left her job at a McDonald’s in the East of England last August claimed a male manager once sent her nude images. Other allegations include a current 16-year-old employee saying they are regularly bullied at work by a much older manager, and a 19-year-old employee who was allegedly taunted by his managers for having a learning disability and an eye condition. So cruel!!

This all comes following a moment in November 2023 when McDonald’s UK chief Alistair Macrow appeared in front of the country’s Parliament during a meeting of its Business and Trade Committee and promised to clean up all kinds of previously alleged misconduct in the fast food chain’s stores.

But now, employees are saying he hasn’t done that AT ALL!! Per the US Sun and others, more than 700 current and former employees have launched legal action against McDonald’s for “failing to protect them” from dangerous, destructive, and inappropriate managers!

Also among the hundreds of complaints are allegations that seedy managers weren’t actually dealt with — but simply moved to new stores following Macrow’s speech in Parliament a little more than a year ago. The old clergy trick. Ugh.

An ex-McDonald’s employee using the fake name Elliott told the BBC that after Macrow addressed the country’s politicians, a manager was moved to his now-former store in the South of England back in February. At a previous store, that manager had been accused of sending sexually explicit images to female employees who were between 16 and 18 years old, according to Elliott — and the guy was supposedly moved to avoid being disciplined!

Despicable!

Other former McDonald’s employees shared even more allegations of past bad behavior. A woman who called herself Shelby and said she worked at a Berkshire branch of the fast food chain in 2022 as a 16-year-old recalled how sexual harassment and assault was commonplace during her shifts. Remembering the alleged actions of her colleagues there, she told the outlet:

“They’d grope stomach, waists, bums. 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.”

At one point during a shift, she claimed a fellow employee in his 50s came up behind her at the counter, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her butt into his groin. WTF!!! She recalled:

“I just froze — I felt disgusted.”

We honestly can’t even imagine. And at 16?! It’s bad at any age, but THAT young?! Gross.

As you might expect, McDonald’s has been trying to do damage control in response. Per the US Sun on Tuesday, a company spokesperson shared:

“Ensuring the 168,000 people that work in McDonald’s restaurants are safe is the most important responsibility for both us and our franchisees, and we have undertaken extensive work over the last year to ensure we have industry-leading practices in place to support this priority. Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action.”

The company added:

“Our relentless focus on eliminating all forms of harassment at McDonald’s is led by a newly created team and informed by the experience and guidance of external experts. We are confident that we are taking significant and important steps to tackle the unacceptable behaviors facing every organization.”

Macrow himself also spoke before Parliament again on Tuesday, the US Sun added. He said McDonald’s has directly fielded more than 75 claims of sexual harassment from current and former employees, with 47 allegations upheld and another 29 dismissed. The executive told politicians:

“Those allegations described are abhorrent, unacceptable and there is no place for them in McDonald’s. There cannot be any room in our business for people who behave in that manner. The measures that are put in place mean that we are able to offer a secure, safe workplace where people are respected and feel included. I hear from our people that it is working.”

Uhhh… dude, it ain’t working if more than 700 people are still calling you out on it!!!

Honestly, in addition to the specific horrors here, this just goes to show that sexual harassment and predation is NOT limited to Hollywood. Following the #MeToo movement, Hollywood has (rightly) gotten a million headlines on these issues. But that’s led to the unfortunate misconception that it’s some especially disgusting place where bad people prey on women! We’re not saying that doesn’t happen — we’re saying it happens EVERYWHERE! This is a much bigger problem than one city or one industry!

This scandal is happening thousands of miles from Hollywood in small towns in the UK. In fast food restaurants, one of the least glamorous jobs there is. What do these jobs have in common with producers and their casting couches? Simple. We’re talking about people given power over others’ lives — over their careers, their livelihood, their well-being. Anywhere that happens, we see again and again people willing to use that power to get sexual favors. Schools, churches, restaurants, the military…

If you think because you live far away from El Lay, that’s a problem outside your world, you’re wrong. Ask the women in your life. Ask the young people. This is as widespread an issue as there is, and there needs to be more widespread accountability for it. And the first step there is the type of thing happening at Mickey D’s in the UK. People need to know it’s happening.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.

[Image via WENN/Avalon]