McDonald’s Corporation
110 North Carpenter Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607

May 19, 2019
Dear Ms. Lakshmi:
McDonald’s is committed to ensuring a harassment and bias-free workplace. I wanted
to take this opportunity to share with you some of the important work we’ve done over
the last year to support our efforts.
First and foremost, the McDonald’s system has always had an unyielding commitment
to providing a safe and respectful work environment for all. Both the company and our
owner-operators understand that we must provide a positive experience in the
restaurant and create an environment where everyone feels respected and valued. It is
important we share with you our progress on this endeavor.
To ensure the business holistically considered what it means to create safe and
respectful workplaces, we sought outside perspectives and began working with RAINN
last year. As the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country, RAINN is
considered a pioneer in the space and they have strong education programs and
research on how to prevent sexual misconduct and harassment. RAINN has been a
critical partner in this process by providing employee-centered education for
McDonald’s and clear recommendations on how to cultivate a workplace where
everyone feels safe, respected and understood. Together, we have enhanced our policy
so that it more clearly informs employees of their rights, more clearly defines sexual
harassment, discrimination and retaliation, and provides examples of what
unacceptable behavior looks like. It also underscores how employees can report a
complaint if they do not feel comfortable addressing it with a manager.
Additionally, RAINN has facilitated conversations with Futures without Violence and the
American Association of University Women on the topic. McDonald’s USA Chief People
Officer Melissa Kersey, alongside two owner operators representing the Women
Operator Association and the National Black McDonald’s Operator Association,
attended these discussions with a goal of listening to concerns, sharing current
progress and informing future actions.
The full policy is both attached and available here, embedded in our larger global
human rights commitment. We have reprinted and shipped posters containing the new
policy to all 14,000 restaurants in the McDonald’s system. We have encouraged our

 Owner Operators to use this policy, along with the resources listed below, to continue to
foster a safe and respectful work environment for their employees.
Understanding a policy only goes so far and must be coupled with training, we rolled out
and shared with our Owner Operators a new, third-party facilitated and interactive
training last fall that provides education and guidance on fostering a respectful
workplace environment including how to spot, address and prevent harassment and
discrimination for all restaurant managers in U.S. Restaurants – both Corporate and
Franchise. To date, almost 90% of all McDonald’s operators and General Managers
have taken the training.
We are also going further and implementing new educational training modules on
harassment, unconscious bias and workplace safety for frontline crew at regular
points during their shifts. Together with the operator and General Manager training,
these incremental modules seek to build a stronger knowledge and response foundation
for those who come to work at McDonald’s on what healthy relationships look like and
how to manage difficult situations that may arise. The modules will be delivered to the
system starting in August and paired with ongoing ways to incorporate the topic of
respectful behavior into regular routines so it remains top of mind.
Additionally, the company is offering operators a new third-party managed hotline for
reporting complaints of any kind. This hotline will supplement what operators already
offer in their organizations and provide callers with an anonymous way to file a report
and will be available the beginning of June 2019. At the same time we are also
encouraging Owner Operators to implement a shared values commitment to
workplace safety that includes a mutual understanding and acknowledgement of our
collective responsibility in ensuring a safe, healthy and respectful environment.
While the operator and general manager training from last fall was informed by
important employee feedback, we aren’t stopping there. In the next two months,
McDonald’s and RAINN will facilitate additional conversations with U.S. restaurant
employees and other relevant external stakeholder groups to help inform and further
strengthen our policy and trainings. These conversations underscore our commitment to
continuous improvement and being responsive to the changing needs of our business
and employees – now and in the future. Importantly, we aim to convey that policies and
trainings of this nature must be updated regularly and with direct feedback from the
people they are designed to support.
By strengthening our overall policy, creating interactive training, a third-party managed
anonymous hotline and importantly, listening to employees across the system,
McDonald’s is sending a clear message that we are committed to creating and
sustaining a culture of trust where employees feel safe, valued and respected. Most
importantly, it shows we’re changing to meet the needs of our workforce and the
communities where we live and operate.

 I am proud of the progress we have made to date and look forward to keeping you
apprised of our continued efforts to build a better McDonald’s – inside and out.
Sincerely,

Steve Easterbrook
Chief Executive Officer
McDonald’s Corporation