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McDonald's CEO: Sexual harassment 'will not be tolerated'

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March 2, 2021

McDonald's is facing a new onslaught of criticism, following Sunday's CBS Sunday Morning show report of alleged widespread sexual harassment among employees. In response to the allegations, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement to CBS that sexual harassment would not be tolerated in the company at any level.

"Let me say plainly: Every single person working under the Arches must have a safe and respectful work environment," Kempczinski wrote Sunday. "Sexual harassment in the workplace is an affront to everything we stand for as a system."

In the original broadcasted story, women working at McDonald's alleged that they were discriminated against and sexually harassed by men working at some McDonald's stores, which in the U.S. are largely owned by franchisees (95%).

Female employees nationally have described incidents of being verbally and physically harassed, and despite complaining to managers, no action was taken.

Kempczinski promised to investigate the claims and added that the company was introducing Global Brand Standards around workplace safety in the months to come. He said the company would review its practices and work to obtain worker and franchisee feedback.

Other news reports have detailed similar instances of alleged sexual harassment among McDonald's workers, including a July 2020 article in The Nation and another in Ms. Magazine. Numerous lawsuitshave also been filed around the issue of workplace sexual harassment over the last several years.