McDonalds CEO fired after dating an employee

[Second Best]

Interesting news story this evening regarding the McDonalds CEO being fired after being found out to have had a relationship with an employee. Not sure what level this employee is, but apparently it's a violation of company policy and poor judgement.

The CEO has been replaced with the McDonalds USA President. Less salubrious news sites are already calling Brexit and conspiracy theories into question, which is not unexpected.

On a personal note, a close friend used to work at McDonalds whilst at uni and dated his supervisor. They're now happily married and have professional careers in their respective fields. A lot of people I know have found love at work. The "don't st where you eat" mantra aside, is there something ethically wrong with dating at work? McDo seems to have a view.

URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50283720

[Pesty]

If its a violation of company policy why hasn’t the other person been named and fired too?

I’m sure he won’t give a fk either way way. He’s been eating tens of millions for years. Will no doubt get a huge golden goodbye and millions in shares.

[Driver101]

Sounds a bit harsh unless there is more to the story.


The bit that grabbed my attention.

The company has been criticised over the amount it pays shop staff, and Mr Easterbrook faced scrutiny for his $15.9m pay packet in 2018. It was 2,124 times the median employee salary of $7,473.

$7,473 of a salary? It's hardly like they'll be boosted by tips in McDonald's.

[FN2TypeR]

Driver101 said:

Sounds a bit harsh unless there is more to the story.


The bit that grabbed my attention.

The company has been criticised over the amount it pays shop staff, and Mr Easterbrook faced scrutiny for his $15.9m pay packet in 2018. It was 2,124 times the median employee salary of $7,473.

$7,473 of a salary? It's hardly like they'll be boosted by tips in McDonald's.

Global brand; the figure is likely taking into account low wage economies like emerging markets and the UK

[aka_kerrly]

FN2TypeR said:

Global brand; the figure is likely taking into account low wage economies like emerging markets and the UK

Plus tens of thousands of employees on part time/ zero hours contracts, summer student employees as well who would lower the average salary somewhat.

On the subject of the CEO having to be sacked because he did an employee, whatever, if its in the policy then it should be enforced but jeez in the grand scheme of things I couldn't care less. IF I were a shareholder / had a keen interest in how McD is doing I'd be more concerned by the accounts rather than who the ceo is sleeping with.

[Ridgemont]

Second Best said:

Interesting news story this evening regarding the McDonalds CEO being fired after being found out to have had a relationship with an employee. Not sure what level this employee is, but apparently it's a violation of company policy and poor judgement.

The CEO has been replaced with the McDonalds USA President. Less salubrious news sites are already calling Brexit and conspiracy theories into question, which is not unexpected.

On a personal note, a close friend used to work at McDonalds whilst at uni and dated his supervisor. They're now happily married and have professional careers in their respective fields. A lot of people I know have found love at work. The "don't st where you eat" mantra aside, is there something ethically wrong with dating at work? McDo seems to have a view.

URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50283720

I worked at McDonalds many lifetime ago. A supervisor was shagging a part timer. He was in his mid thirties and she was 18ish.
It didn’t end well.
It was one of many iffy unequal relationships I saw while working there.
It was dodgy then and it’s dodgy now.
Work relationships are one thing if based on equal status. As soon as they are not then you run into a whole world of hurt.

[Joedarkness]

As my mate told me about dating in the same company .. " you don't st where you eat"

I haven't not for the lack of trying but that was ages ago .. Can see it working too well now esp with "me too"

Edited by Joedarkness on Monday 4th November 01:51

[FN2TypeR]

Joedarkness said:

As my mate told me about dating in the same company .. " you don't st where you eat"

I haven't not for the lack of trying but that was ages ago .. Can see it working too well now esp with "me too"

Edited by Joedarkness on Monday 4th November 01:51

Don't dip your pen in to the company ink is the phrase I've heard for this particular scenario

[JagLover]

Joedarkness said:

As my mate told me about dating in the same company .. " you don't st where you eat"

I haven't not for the lack of trying but that was ages ago .. Can see it working too well now esp with "me too"

I have seen many happy relationships develop at work. That is where I met my wife and the last wedding I attended was of a young couple who had met at work.

The McDonald's policy is harsh in my view but not doubt driven to it by the possibility of lawsuits from any sort of flirting or banter at work.

[itcaptainslow]

There’ll be more to it than this-I bet there’s a few reasons why they wanted the chap out the door, and this is just the one they could nail him for...

Does on the face of it seem mightily unfair.

[ChocolateFrog]

$16m dollars a year seems weirdly low for the CEO of a company the size of McDs, unless he's getting $100s of millions in share deals.

Still, I'm sure he can retire in relative comfort and I can't imagine finding a new partner is going to be that difficult either.

[IanH755]

itcaptainslow said:

Does on the face of it seem mightily unfair.

The "senior" person always gets punished more as, being "senior" they should know better, at least that's how it's worked where I've been.

[Teddy Lop]

Second Best said:

On a personal note, a close friend used to work at McDonalds whilst at uni and dated his supervisor. They're now happily married and have professional careers in their respective fields. A lot of people I know have found love at work. The "don't st where you eat" mantra aside, is there something ethically wrong with dating at work? McDo seems to have a view.

depends what levels/responsibilities they hold, when I were an apprentice on the electric board the woman in charge of training, the pompously titled "human resources systems administrator", had been fired from a senior level position at Texaco IIRC for an affair with a colleague where they'd have had the potential to conspire/defraud.

[anonymous-user]

50s millionaire,divorced, powerfully built, surely the relationship wouldn't be with someone over half his age, that would be too much of a cliche..

Edited by Thesprucegoose on Monday 4th November 07:19

[p1stonhead]

I’m actually quite surprised that any company can stop people dating within the same company. How is it anyone’s business?

If things get messy and their work suffers, then go through the usual disciplinary channels. But before that - fk off and mind your own!

[PositronicRay]

p1stonhead said:

I’m actually quite surprised that any company can stop people dating within the same company. How is it anyone’s business?

If things get messy and their work suffers, then go through the usual disciplinary channels. But before that - fk off and mind your own!

I think it was poor judgement he was fired for.

[dazwalsh]

Reminds me of my days at mcds as a manager, I had several relationships with other employees and managers from 3 different stores. All the staff fked other it was like every day was your typical office Christmas party.

Fun times

[Randy Winkman]

IanH755 said:

itcaptainslow said:

Does on the face of it seem mightily unfair.

The "senior" person always gets punished more as, being "senior" they should know better, at least that's how it's worked where I've been.

I'm not sure it's simply a matter of knowing better. In the UK civil service a senior person is not allowed to borrow money from a junior person but the opposite is OK. Not 100% sure on the reasoning but I think that it's because a junior person would be in difficult position asking for the money back if the senior person did not pay it back as originally agreed.

[eccles]

JagLover said:

Joedarkness said:

As my mate told me about dating in the same company .. " you don't st where you eat"

I haven't not for the lack of trying but that was ages ago .. Can see it working too well now esp with "me too"

I have seen many happy relationships develop at work. That is where I met my wife and the last wedding I attended was of a young couple who had met at work.

The McDonald's policy is harsh in my view but not doubt driven to it by the possibility of lawsuits from any sort of flirting or banter at work.

Like you , over the years I've seen quite a few relationships blossom at work and lead to marriage, but I've seen more where it didn't work out and there end up being a horrible atmosphere in the workplace and divided loyalties amongst their friends.

[kev1974]

p1stonhead said:

I’m actually quite surprised that any company can stop people dating within the same company. How is it anyone’s business?

If things get messy and their work suffers, then go through the usual disciplinary channels. But before that - fk off and mind your own!

Back in the days when you used to get handed an employee handbook on joining a company rather than just pointed at an intranet page, I remember it being standard in the companies I worked for to have a section in there on employee relationships and them either not being allowed or having to be declared to Personnel (pre HR!).

McDs being an American company I am not surprised they still have and enforce this sort of rule.