'Highly damaging' | Damning claims of sexual assault & racism highlight 'deep-rooted' problems at McDonald's

Damning allegations of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying among the McDonald’s UK ranks have been raised by more than 100 current and former employees.

A BBC expose released yesterday revealed claims of a ‘toxic culture’ behind the counters at the fast food giant, including shocking claims of teenaged girls being routinely groped and harassed, racial slurs and even an outbreak of a sexually transmitted infection at a branch in Northern Ireland - the result of multiple sexual relationships between colleagues.

"It's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's, you will be harassed," a 20-year-old former employee told the national broadcaster. The ex-worker reportedly quit working for the company after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way.

Worryingly, it has also been alleged that some managers ignored the concerns of several victims who spoke out.