How we run our business
Success in any marketplace isn’t just about results. At McDonald’s, each one of us has a responsibility to do the right thing. Our Standards of Business Conduct provide a framework for living up to this responsibility. These Standards provide clarity, guidance and resources on a wide range of issues for operating on a daily basis with fairness, honesty and integrity.
First published more than 40 years ago, the Standards are updated regularly. In 2008, we revised them once again (They were last revised in 2003). At the heart of the Standards are three basic principles—personal accountability, open communication and responsible action. Enhancements in the 2008 Standards include:
- Affirmative statements on McDonald’s policies related to human rights and the right to association
- Explanation of special responsibilities of supervisors and officers and a greater emphasis on our policy protecting employees who report wrongdoing against retaliation
- An expanded explanation of our anti-bribery and anti-kickback policies
- The duty of employees to cooperate in internal investigations
- Description of appropriate use of electronic communications
- Importance of protecting confidential information and privacy of employee, franchisee and customer data
All employees have a role to play
Maintaining high ethics and integrity is everyone’s business. McDonald’s employees are encouraged to speak honestly and openly. They are expected to raise questions or issues and, where appropriate, utilize the McDonald’s Business Integrity Line - a telephone line reserved specifically for employee calls about ethics and compliance issues.
The McDonald’s Business Integrity Line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year by an outside firm experienced in handling sensitive calls. Interpreters and reversal of charges are both available for callers outside of the U.S.
Ongoing efforts to strengthen our ethics and compliance program
Employees are the face of our company. They have the power to shape and strengthen the McDonald’s way of doing business and protect our bottom line. So we expect them to exercise good judgment.
One of the most critical elements of the McDonald's compliance program is the continued training and education of employees on their obligations under applicable laws, regulations and company policies.
Each year, McDonald's provides training on the Standards of Business Conduct, as well as topics including anti-trust, confidentiality, e-compliance, HIPPA privacy and security, mutual respect, privacy, records management and trademarks. Finally, the company conducts anti-corruption training for employees outside the U.S., with special priority given to markets considered to have high levels of public corruption.
Since our 2006 Worldwide Corporate Responsibility Report, we have also expanded our compliance efforts to be more collaborative and global in scope. One of the most effective tools we’ve introduced is compliance service visits. These visits present unique opportunities for compliance staff to collaborate with our worldwide employees and business partners in identifying and responding to specific risk areas that are unique to certain countries.
We have also rolled out an expanded due diligence program, which involves cross-functional collaboration to ensure that the company is making well-informed decisions about business relationships. We communicate our anti-bribery policy to our suppliers, contractors, agents and partners and require them to certify that they will abide by all applicable laws and regulations.