AN APPALLING “sex for shifts” scandal has uncovered how McDonald’s employees were “slapped on the bum” as bosses “placed bets on sleeping with new staff”.
More than 700 current and former staff members are suing the fast food giant over allegations that managers sexually abused them as teenagers and “preyed on young female workers”.
The firm was hit by fresh claims, including allegations of “sex for shifts” just one year after its UK chief Alistair Macrow apologised over previous staff behaviour.
Macrow had first appeared in front of parliament’s Business and Trade Committee in November 2023 where he told MPs they were working on improving conditions for staff after treatment concerns were uncovered.
Here, we discuss the worst of the allegations made, ranging from sexual harassment to discrimination and homophobia.
Rachel, who got her first job at the chain aged 17, described how older staff would place bets on sleeping with new starters.
She said: “It was soon clear the environment was really toxic.
“I saw older male staff making bets on who could sleep with the new starters and had older guys making comments about my body.”
Rachel also claimed she was once “slapped on the bottom” by her manager after bending down.
One worker also quit her job in the West Midlands at the end of 2023 after claiming she was touched by managers and that customers sexually harassed her.
Another, Shelby, who began working in a Berkshire branch in 2022 aged 16, told of sexual harassment by colleagues being commonplace.
She said: “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.”
She described how one fellow worker in his 50s came up behind her at the counter, grabbing and pulling her on to his groin.
Shelby said: “I just froze – I felt disgusted.”
Claire, who is using fake name, worked at a West Midlands branch until May 2023 when she was forced to quit due to uncomfortable behaviour.
She told the BBC her shift manager would ask her for sex in return for extra shifts, which she refused.
Claire, who was on a zero-hours contract, was 17 at the time while her boss was in his 30s.
She said: “You don’t expect that to happen.
“It was totally inappropriate.”
She also claims when she tried to raise the issue, she was told to “suck it up”.
One female worker, 20, claimed a male manager at her East of England branch sent her nude images and that she had to leave her job in August last year.
Some staff have also alleged that bosses asked youngsters how may people they had slept with.
Elliott, who is also using a fake name, left his job in the South of England in February 2024.
He said if he had a sister or a daughter he “wouldn’t want them working in McDonald’s”.
When Maccies boss Macrow addressed MPs over a year ago, Elliott said a manager was moved to his store to avoid being disciplined.
This manager was accused of sending sexually explicit messages to female colleagues who were 16-18 years old.
One 19-year-old former employee claimed they were taunted for having a learning disability and an eye condition.
Another staff member who is currently still employed at McDonald’s said: “I’ve had to deal with homophobic abuse.
“My manager said if I can’t deal with it, I should just leave.
“I’ve been called names like ‘f**got’.”
In the Commons on Tuesday, McDonald’s was accused of becoming a “predators’ paradise”.
Macrow, who also spoke in Parliament on Tuesday, said of the latest allegations that people are “speaking up” – with 75 claims of sexual harassment being made to McDonald’s directly.
He said 47 have been upheld with disciplinary action, and 29 individuals have been dismissed.
Macrow added: “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.”
In November 2023, Macrow issued an apology after similar claims were made, with him admitting he had received around 400 complaints.
A McDonald’s spokesperson has now said: “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 behaviours facing every organisation.”
