A "workforce assessment" has forced McDonald’s burger chain to shut down its US offices this week as a temporary measure, US media reported. The Chicago-based fast-food company is following through with its decision to embark upon a broad restructuring, and staff culls are expected to be an inevitable part of the overhaul.
US employees and international staff reportedly received an internal email last week requesting them to work from home from Monday 3 April to Wednesday 5 April so that staffing decisions may be delivered virtually. Employees were allegedly asked to ditch all in-person meetings with vendors.
"During the week of 3 April we will communicate key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization," the company was cited as saying.
Any staff without computer access were supposedly asked to provide their managers with personal contact information.
"We want to ensure the comfort and confidentiality of our people during the notification period," the company stated.
McDonald's warned of impending changes regarding staffing at the start of the year. Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski revealed in a January interview that "difficult" decisions were looming related to corporate staffing levels by April.
"Some jobs that are existing today are either going to get moved or those jobs may go away," Kempczinski said at the time, as he outlined the company's strategic plan for the future.
Though acknowledging that the workforce assessment was designed to save money, no clarity was offered as to the scope of looming lay-offs. According to McDonald's own figures released in February, it employs more than 150,000 people globally, whether in corporate positions or at its owned restaurants.
Over the years, the fast-food chain has carried out several rounds of workforce culls. When axing management workers in 2018, McDonald’s said it was seeking to be “more dynamic, nimble and competitive”.
Despite the overall economic slowdown across the US, with companies ranging from the tech sector to retailers forced to carry out lay-offs, McDonald’s sales have largely withstood the pressures, internal data shows. However, in January, investors were reportedly informed that lower-income consumers were beginning to order fewer menu items, or turning to cheaper options at the company's restaurants.