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The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has extended its legal agreement with McDonald’s Restaurants Limited (McDonald’s) to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

Building on improvements and proactive initiatives already made by McDonalds, the extended agreement includes a strengthened action plan developed in response to serious allegations raised after the original agreement was signed. 

The EHRC has extended the agreement to monitor the strengthened action plan and ensure it effectively prevents sexual harassment.

The original legal agreement between the equality regulator and the company was signed in February 2023, following concerns about the handling of sexual harassment complaints made by staff in its UK restaurants.

Under the strengthened action plan McDonald’s will:

• Introduce a new safeguarding policy and continue an ongoing review of existing relevant policies
• Work with external safeguarding experts to design and implement a new safeguarding plan to protect vulnerable workers - to be rolled out across McDonald’s restaurants and franchisees’ restaurants
• Commission an external auditor to audit the new complaints handling unit to give assurance that sexual harassment complaints are handled appropriately
• Ensure complaints against managers are investigated outside the restaurant
• Continue an extensive communications plan encouraging staff to speak out when something feels wrong, alongside the implementation of a 24/7 chatbot for raising complaints
• Refresh sexual harassment training for restaurant managers, including franchisees, and expand the topics covered during training to include social media and grooming of young and/or vulnerable workers
• Strengthen risk assessments, using restaurant inspections to ensure they are regularly reviewed and reflect any learning from complaints
• Use existing quarterly staff surveys to identify problems and check workplaces are safe, respectful, and inclusive
• Request all Franchisees pledge their commitment to adopting appropriate policies, systems and measures that create a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace culture

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“We originally signed a legal agreement with McDonald’s to prevent sexual harassment in 2023. After serious allegations were raised, we decided we needed to update the action plan with stronger actions that were more specific to the way McDonald’s operates.

“We’re pleased with the significant steps McDonald’s has agreed to take towards a safer working environment for its staff and recognise the hard work they’ve done so far. Once completed, the actions that make up this legal agreement will ensure that there is zero tolerance for harassment at McDonald’s and there are clear routes to report and resolve complaints if it does occur.

“Everyone in the UK has the right to a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. As Britain’s equality regulator, we will continue to use our enforcement powers to ensure that right is upheld.” 

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