McDonald’s Layoffs: Hundreds of jobs cut after staff told to work remotely

What’s happening at McDonald’s?

McDonald’s has begun laying off hundreds of corporate employees following earlier warnings about potential job cuts. In preparation for the announcement, the fast food giant temporarily closed some of its offices and instructed its U.S.-based corporate staff to work remotely from April 3-5, according to news sources.

• Layoffs are part of the “Accelerating the Organization” (AtO) strategy aimed at streamlining operations and improving problem-solving speed.
• U.S. and international employees are affected, with global corporate and company-owned restaurant roles totaling 150,000 workers.
• In a memo sent to staff, McDonald’s emphasizes a need to shift from “legacy mindsets” and scale successful innovations globally.

Impact on Canadian staff

International workers have also been told to connect with their “market leadership” to learn more about their local office status.

It remains unclear how many corporate employees in Canada will be affected as McDonald’s looks for ways to enhance its speed, efficiency, and innovation.

The fast food giant has offices in major cities across the country, including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver. McDonald’s Canada claims on its website that it employs more than 90,000 people from “coast-to-coast.”

Major layoffs continue

The potential job cuts at McDonald’s come after several major North American companies have announced sweeping layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Amazon, Accenture, Meta, Alphabet, Dell, Clearco, Hootsuite, and Microsoft, are significantly scaling back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

SEE ALSO
• Hudson’s Bay laying off 2% of staff, realigning ‘strategic priorities’
• Employment lawyer discusses compensation for remote workers
• Layoffs in Canada

Termination agreements for McDonald’s Canada employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees and senior executives at McDonald’s are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing or corporate restructuring.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Severance packages in mass layoffs
• Rights to severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance pay in a recession 

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains why you are still owed severance if you have been downsized on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper compensation if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you aren’t given the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.