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McDonald's launches US employee harassment training in October

August 29, 2019

McDonalds' franchisees are launching a workplace training program that the organizations says is designed to "support a professional, safe and respectful workplace," according to a news release. 

The chain has come under fire over the last year particularly for its oversight and protections around harassment on the job. The new program aims to train 850,000 McDonald's restaurant employees around building what the brand said will be "healthy relationships and trusting work environments."

The training that starts this October is designed to build on earlier education started last fall and now completed by 95% of its U.S. franchisees and restaurant general managers.

"There is a deeply important conversation around safe and respectful workplaces in communities throughout the U.S. and around the world," McDonald's USA President Chris Kempczinski, said in the release. "Together with our franchisees, we have a responsibility to take action on this issue and are committed to promoting positive change. These actions are one more step we are taking to raise awareness at all levels of McDonald's that will transfer both inside and outside the workplace."

In about a month, restaurant supervisors and crew will begin the interactive and computer-based training programs, as well as engaging in discussions around: 

• Mitigating workplace violence by training staff to recognize precursors and indicators, while developing skills to diffuse situations with customers, employees and others.
• Safe and respectful workplace by educating supervisors and crew about harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention, including complaint reporting and what to do as a bystander.
• Unconscious bias training to build understanding around how this factor can impact relationships, behavior and perceptions.
• Anti-bullying education to help identify and prevent bullying in and outside of the workplace.
• Bystander training through the review of different scenarios, power dynamics and mitigation tactics.

Feedback will also be collected to improve the next round of training next year from employees, franchisees and outside experts.

"Our aim is that each of the over 2,000 U.S. franchisees commit to implementing the program in their restaurants so that the positive impact of this training reaches all individuals who work at brand McDonald's restaurants," NFLA Executive team member, franchisee and McDonald's Women Operators President Dorothy Stingley, said in the release. "People come to work at a McDonald's because they want the chance to be a part of a community and grow as individuals. Our job as employers is to make that possible while fostering an environment where those ambitions are never compromised by concerns of safety."

The chain said it has also enhanced its discrimination, harassment and retaliation prevention policies with input from the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN, as well as offering a free intake hotline for franchisees to get help with additional concerns.

It said it has also developed a global gender balance and diversity strategy, with the goal of improving female representation throughout the organization and gender equality in rewards and career advancement by 2023.

Photo: iStock