McDonald’s is rolling out new training as concerns over fast-food workers’ safety swell

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• McDonald’s is rolling out a new training intended to make fast-food workers’ jobs safer. 
• The training will cover issues such as how to mitigate workplace violence, identify and report harassment, and prevent unconscious bias and bullying. 
• McDonald’s and other fast-food chains have recently been under pressure to address sexual harassment and violence against employees in the workplace. 
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

McDonald’s and a group of 2,000 franchisees are rolling out a new training, in an effort to make the workplace safer for fast-food employees. 

On Tuesday, McDonald’s and the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance (NFLA) announced plans to roll out a new training program in October. The training will cover issues such as how to mitigate workplace violence, identify and report harassment, and prevent unconscious bias and bullying. 

"We are not immune from the broader social conversations taking place in communities around the country around safe and respectful workplaces, but with our scale across the country we will take responsibility today – and forever – to impact positive change wherever we can," McDonald’s leadership wrote in a letter to employees. 

According to a press release, the training will utilize both computer-based training and in-person discussions. 

McDonald’s and other fast-food chains have recently been under pressure on the topic of workplace safety. 

In May, 25 McDonald’s employees filed sexual harassment charges against the fast-food giant, third wave of sexual harassment complaints against McDonald’s. Roughly 40% of women working at fast-food chains report being sexually harassed at work, according to a 2016 study.

In a 2015 survey of almost 1,500 fast-food workers, 12% said they had been assaulted on the job in the previous year. Some 29 restaurant industry workers were murdered while working in 2017. And, recent mass shootings have sparked new concerns among fast-food employees. 

Read more: ‘This guy has a gun and I’m about to die’: Fast-food chains are facing a looming active-shooter problem, with at least 3 deadly shootings in the last month alone

McDonald’s has been making efforts to improve workplace safety over the last year.

In January, McDonald’s rolled out a new policy on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation at corporate-owned locations. McDonald’s launched a hotline that all employees can call to express concerns and report harassment in June. 

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See Also:

• ‘I was working like a slave’: Exhausted Popeyes employees describe a harrowing situation amid chicken-sandwich chaos, including working 60-hour weeks and shifts with no breaks
• The food court at Costco’s first Chinese store is serving seafood pizza and mango soft serve
• Bizarre and beloved McDonald’s menu items you may never see again

SEE ALSO: Workers at chains like Starbucks and McDonald’s face violence and injuries on the job — and they’re starting to speak out

Source: Business Insider – ktaylor@businessinsider.com (Kate Taylor)