KUALA LUMPUR – Fast food company McDonald’s Malaysia has issued an apology and says it will be taking action against one of its managers who was recently accused of being discriminatory towards a disabled crew member.
On February 16, Facebook user Muhammad Hanis had taken to the platform to express his dissatisfaction with the offensive way in which his dyslexic brother, who has worked with McDonald’s for four years, was treated by other staff.
Claiming that a store manager had called his brother “stupid” after a work schedule mix-up, Muhammad had reacted by sending multiple texts to the manager on behalf of his brother, calling out the individual’s rudeness.
In response, the manager had simply asked Muhammad’s brother to come into work the next day, adding “tak padan (does not match)” to his directive, a comment which further enraged Muhammad.
“What does not match? Are you trying to say that being disabled does not match up with him voicing out for himself?
“Do you think that as a manager, you are qualified to say such things to the people under your leadership, especially if they are disabled?
“It was clearly discrimination, provocation, hate speech, and abuse of power being carried out by a staff member of McDonald’s, a manager no less,” he said in his posting, adding that when his brother reported for duty the next day, no one from management offered their apologies.
Manager’s behaviour violates company policy on diversity: McDonald’s
In a statement released today, McDonald’s said that it had conducted an immediate and thorough internal investigation to address the matter which had reportedly occurred at its Forest Heights store in Senawang, Seremban.
“We are able to confirm that the specific restaurant manager’s behaviour was found to be unacceptable and in violation of our policy on diversity and inclusion,” it said, adding that appropriate action will be taken against the individual.
“McDonald’s Malaysia has also reached out to the family of the affected crew member to express our sincere apologies over the incident and to resolve the issue.
“As a people-oriented company, we strive to provide an inclusive work environment and promote a culture that allows our people to grow and build harmonious relationships as members of the McFamily,” it said.
A similar incident involving alleged prejudice by a corporate representative against a member of the disabled community was also reported earlier this week.
Popular coffee chain outlet ZUS Coffee issued a public apology on February 15 after one of its recruiters was accused of discriminating against a disabled applicant.
The issue was first highlighted by Twitter user @hairul1992, who uploaded a couple of images of his WhatsApp conversation with the said recruiter, who appeared to dismiss the former’s application upon discovering his disability status.
In a bid to rectify the situation, ZUS Coffee general manager Venon Tian said in a statement that several action plans will be undertaken, including engaging with professional trainers to retrain the recruitment team and committing to continuously provide equal opportunities to all. – The Vibes, February 18, 2022
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