McDonald’s CEO Fired After Relationship Violating Company Policy

McDonald’s CEO, Steve Easterbrook, engaged in a consensual relationship with a McDonald’s employee, violating the company’s policy. Following the policy violation, McDonald’s fired CEO Easterbrook for “[demonstrating] poor judgment.”

Relationship with Employee

Mr. Easterbrook became the company’s CEO in March of 2015. However, the board voted this past Friday to fire Easterbrook upon investigation of his relationship with an unnamed McDonald’s employee. A McDonald’s spokeswoman provides little information about the relationship or when the board discovered it.

Two days after the board’s vote, Mr. Easterbrook wrote an email to McDonald’s employees admitting that he made a mistake and that he violated the company’s policy on personal conduct. In the email Mr. Easterbrook further explained that he believed that given the company’s values, he agreed with the board that it was time for him to move in.

McDonald’s Company Changes

As a response to concerns of national workplace sexual harassment, McDonald’s recently began new online and in-person training programs for all of the company’s employees in the U.S. In an effort to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, McDonald’s hoped these changes would satisfy the company’s critics. However, their efforts may have been unsuccessful thus far.

In fact one critic, Tanya Harrell, believes McDonald’s is not addressing and conversely ignoring demands of concerns of sexual harassment. Harrell, who leads the campaign for a $15 minimum wage, said employees of McDonald’s filed dozens of complaints with the company demanding it takes action to address workplace sexual harassment. And yet, Harrell claims McDonald’s has ultimately ignored these complaints.

Harrell further suggests that the firing of Mr. Easterbrook furthers her allegations that the company exhibits a toxic attitude toward sexual harassment in the workplace.