McDonald’s’ CEO has been ousted from the fast food megalith for participating in “a consensual relationship with an employee”, a reported violation of company policies.
CNN reports Steve Easterbrook was booted from the company on Friday following a board review of his conduct. In a statement, McDonald’s said Easterbrook exhibited “poor judgment” with the relationship.
In an email sent to employees, Easterbrook characterised the matter as a “mistake” and agreed that he should duck out of the House of Ronald.
“Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on,” Easterbrook said.
“Beyond this, I hope you can respect my desire to maintain my privacy.”
[jwplayer gYUdE2xU]
The company has not released further information on the context of the divorced father-of-three’s relationship, nor the identity of the other party.
McDonald’s company guidelines reportedly restrict managers from having consensual relationships with subordinates, whether they operate in the same team or not.
Given the fact Easterbrook was CEO, the board appears to have argued that everyone in the company was some kind of direct or indirect employee, making this one pretty clear-cut.
His departure comes after four years as Maccas’ top guy, which saw the company embrace of food delivery apps, touchscreen menu boards, and a fair few cracks at McDonald’s Monopoly.
Easterbrook, who received an estimated AU$23 million last year, will be replaced by Chris Kempczinski, who recently served as president of the chain’s US operation.
The take away here: the ice cream machine is always broken, there are never enough chips, and you should think very carefully before any workplace relationship.
