Call it a McBacktrack.
McDonald’s has taken down its employee help website after it came under fire for offering tone-deaf advice, including how much to tip pool cleaners and why it’s important to avoid fast food.
The fast food giant said in a statement that it made the decision because of “links to irrelevant or outdated information, along with outside groups taking elements out of context, this created unwarranted scrutiny and inappropriate commentary.”
As CNBC reported, the site contained multiple posts by a third-party vendor, detailing the harmful effects of fast food. It labeled hamburgers and french-fries — staples of McDonald’s — as an “unhealthy choice.”
The website was also ridiculed over the summer for posting a budget-planning guide that included no money for heat and surmised health insurance would cost $20 a month. And in November, the site offered advice on how much employees – many of whom make around minimum wage — should tip their pool cleaners, fitness trainers and housekeepers.
The site has also been criticized for urging employees to complain less and sing more to reduce stress and to save cash by selling unwanted Christmas gifts online.
McDonald’s still plans on offering employees help through a telephone hotline. The website now says: “We’ll be back soon!”
