McDonald’s closed down their employee wellness portal last month, one that offered health resources for its workforce as well as other information through an intranet type offering. It has been speculated by the media (see CNN’s McDonald’s on employee resources site: Not lovin’ it) the site was shut down in part because it advised McDonald’s employees not to eat its own food on health grounds. The site, which was not accessible by the public, showed photos of what it called “healthy” and “unhealthy” choices. The problem was that, while items like salads and sandwiches were encouraged, cheeseburgers and fries were labeled “unhealthy.”
McDonald’s online resources, known collectively as McResource Line, have had other problems in the past as well. In July, it was revealed that a guide aimed at helping employees plan their budgets omitted items such as gas and food. The online tools also allowed employees to provide details of how much they earned from second jobs, something seen as a tacit admission by the company that its wages were inadequate for most of its workers to live on. More recently, guides on how to tip au pairs and housekeepers were seen as further evidence that the company is out of touch.
This story highlights the challenges some companies face leading by example. McDonald’s was undoubtedly trying to provide useful services for the betterment of their workforce, however, this effort had inherent tension with the unhealthy nature of much of the food on which it relies for most of its sales. Although McDonald’s food is cheap and popular, it tends to be high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Current basic wisdom regarding wellness suggests high caloric diets, like the composition of many McDonald’s meals, may contribute to obesity and other health problems.
McDonald’s admitted in a statement on its public website that the McResource Line site had been shut down, saying that it had re-evaluated its worth in the light of recent events, and asked that the third-party vendor take it down. It further stated that the commentary and scrutiny the site had attracted was unwarranted and unfair.
