McDonald’s Temporarily Shuts Its US Offices And Prepares Layoff Notices: Report

McDonald’s temporarily shuts its US offices and prepares layoff notices: Report

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, McDonald’s, one of the world’s largest fast-food chains, will temporarily close all its offices in the US this week to inform its corporate employees about a fresh round of layoffs.

McDonald’s

Fast food chain

Founder: Ray Kroc
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Founded: 15 April 1955, San Bernardino, California, United States
CEO: Chris Kempczinski (4 Nov 2019–)
Subsidiaries: McDonald’s Canada, McDonald’s France, McCafé, MORE
Video game: McPlay
Number of employees: c. 200,000 (2021)

Last week, the company sent a mail to its US employees requesting them to work from home from Monday to Wednesday, so that news about the layoffs could be delivered virtually. The report stated that it is unclear how many employees will be fired.

McDonald’s reportedly wrote in the mail that “During the week of April 3, we will communicate key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization.”

In-person meetings scheduled for this week have also been canceled and the layoffs are expected to be announced by Wednesday.

In January, the fast-food chain had announced that it would review corporate staffing levels as part of an updated business strategy, which could lead to layoffs in some areas and expansion in others.

In February, as reported by WSJ, McDonald’s, the burger chain, stated that it employs over 150,000 individuals globally in corporate positions and at its owned restaurants, with 70% of them situated outside of the US.

Despite a slowdown in spending reported by retailers, the company’s sales have remained steady. In January, the company informed investors that while some lower-income customers were ordering fewer items or choosing cheaper options, overall, customers continued to spend at its restaurants.

Last December, McDonald’s India (North and East), a quick-service restaurant, announced its plans to double its outlets to over 300 restaurants in the region over the next three years and hire approximately 5,000 individuals.

As companies try to counter a global economic slowdown and soaring inflation, job cuts are rising. Several tech giants, including Google, Amazon, and Facebook, have also drastically scaled down their operations recently.

The mass layoffs in US tech companies have hit Indians the hardest. Hundreds of workers, living in the US on temporary visas, have been left jobless with very little time to find a new one. H-1B visa holders who become unemployed can remain in the US legally for only 60 days without finding new employers to sponsor them.

McDonald’s temporarily shuts its US offices and prepares layoff notices: Report