McDonald’s ‘deplorable’ act against workers slammed: ‘That is so horrible’

An uproar has erupted after McDonald’s closed its offices and sent workers home last week — just so it could fire them.

McDonald’s has sparked debate on the most appropriate way to sack staff in the post-Covid workplace after laying off hundreds virtually last week.

The fast food chain closed its offices in the US and instructed staffers to work from home, where they would be notified of changes as part of a restructuring.

The move was done “out of respect” and to “provide dignity, confidentiality, and comfort to our colleagues”, a source who was not authorised to speak to the media told Reuters.

“It used to be that folks would be called into a conference room with the windows papered over and then have to walk back to their desk to collect their personal belongings and leave with their head down,” the source said.

McDonald’s has laid off hundreds of workers. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

Several of those who were laid off were executives who spent decades with the company — and the decision to deliver the news remotely didn’t sit well with many people online.

“Deplorable business ethics,” wrote one.

“That is sooooo horrible. I’d boycott, but the last time I ate at a McDonalds must have been 20 years ago,” added another.

Others argued being sacked from the comfort of your home was preferable.

“People here are mad that those workers got laid off, which is totally fair,” one wrote. “But getting laid off at home is going to be a lot more pleasant and experience for most if it’s going to happen.”

“Being laid off is terrible,” wrote another. “I would rather be in my own home instead of collecting my stuff and walking out the office.”

Stanford professor Bob Sutton told the New York Times that three years ago, McDonald’s move would have been seen as “cruel and unusual punishment”.

“But it’s changed so dramatically since the pandemic that I’m confused,” he said.

According to internal emails obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago-based fast food giant informed restaurant owners that it would shutter field offices in the coming months.

McDonald’s will consolidate its operations into one national structure in the US that would oversee all of its 10 field offices.

“While the McDonald’s Brand is in the strongest position it has been in years, we also recognise that our business has grown increasingly complex in recent years,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said in the email obtained by the Journal.

The chain known for its golden arches has more than 150,000 employees globally, with about 70 per cent based outside the United States, including in company-owned restaurants.

The lay-offs do not include the more than 2 million workers in franchised McDonald’s restaurants around the world, including Australia.

The McDonald’s restructuring comes despite the fact that its most recent earnings report beat analyst estimates.

— with the New York Post

Originally published as McDonald’s ‘deplorable’ act against workers slammed: ‘That is so horrible’