McDonald’s has closed its U.S. offices through Wednesday and asked its corporate employees to work remotely as it prepares to announce a round of layoffs.
In a memo to employees posted on TheLayoff.com, the Chicago-based burger giant said it wanted to “ensure the comfort and confidentiality of our employees during the notification period” and would hold all notification meetings virtually. It tells international company employees to follow its region-specific guidance.
The company said in the memo that the layoffs were aimed at improving McDonald’s efficiency.
“We have a clear opportunity in front of us to solve problems faster and more efficiently for our customers and people, and to rapidly scale our successful market innovations globally,” the company said.
McDonald’s declined to comment on Monday’s memo or the layoffs. The memo was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
While the U.S. labor market remains strong, layoffs have been on the rise, mainly in technology r, many companies overhire after the pandemic boom. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months.
There are cuts in other areas as well.
Most layoffs happen at corporate offices. There is still a shortage of workers to fill service jobs, such as jobs at McDonald’s restaurants.
Fed policymakers predict that the unemployment rate, historically associated with recessions, could rise to 4.6% by the end of the year.
McDonald’s has more than 150,000 corporate employees and company-owned restaurants. Approximately 70 percent of these employees are based outside the United States.
McDonald’s shares rose less than 1% on Monday.this company income Full-year 2022 was flat at $23.2 billion, but its net income fell 18%, partly due to the sale of its business in Russia.
McDonald’s warning to employees in january The job cuts will come as it tries to become more nimble and break down barriers between its global markets. In a memo to employees in January, McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company was evaluating roles and staffing levels across the company.
“Historically, we’ve been very fragmented in certain areas, the way we’ve often reinvented the wheel,” Kempczinski said on a conference call with investors in January. “And I think another thing I see It’s that we’re not as sharp on global priorities, so the priorities keep multiplying.”
In one market, Kempczinski said, he recently found a list of 300 different priorities.
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This story corrects an earlier version that McDonald’s has 150,000 corporate employees. It has 150,000 corporate employees and company-owned restaurants.
Dee-ann Durbin, Associated Press
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