McDonald’s UK in the Spotlight
The boss of McDonald’s in the UK apologised yesterday after more than 100 staff, past and present, alleged they had been sexually harassed or assaulted or subjected to racism or bullying in the workplace by fellow staff.
He said –
“There is simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination of any kind at McDonald’s, and we will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal”.
He said that McDonalds have committed to a –
“companywide programme of training, the roll out of new policies and strict reporting processes, all aimed at offering the highest possible level of workplace protection for all our employees”.
Employers in Ireland should take note
While this situation applies in the UK, similar risks exist here in Ireland for employers. And similar programmes of training, policies, skills for managers, reporting and investigations process would be needed here.
Training. Policies and Procedures. Skills for Managers.
Training for staff is important.
Training for line managers is critical.
How to deal with everything from a whisper of an issue to a formal complaint and everything in between is a key skill for line managers which must be learned.
Following procedures is key too, so as well as the soft skills to deal with issues informally and resolve them quickly, the knowledge of procedure and compliance in following procedures is an essential skill too.
Advice and Guidance. Internal Expert Panel and External Experts.
Having a pool of internal trained mediators, and a panel of internal trained investigators might be a path that a company needs to travel.
Ensuring the organisation gets sound advice and follows its own procedures, and best-practice, based on the various Codes of Practice, the law and case law is really important.
In some cases, an external mediator or an external independent investigator may be required for independence and expertise.
How Can We Help You?
We provide training for staff in workplaces, and for Line Managers on the procedures to be followed and on soft skills for handling workplace matters informally, and formally.
We provide advice and guidance on the proper procedure for conducting Investigations, Hearings and Appeals or we can lead and conduct investigations, hearings and appeals where you may require external, independent, expertise. Click also on Disciplinary/Dismissal Procedures and Bullying Procedures for more information.
Next Steps
If you are an employer and have any questions, please contact your CollierBroderick HR Advisor, call us on 01 8666426, contact us, or email us on enquiries@collierbroderick.
