McDonald's Progress Report Outlines System-level Workforce, Inclusion and Upskilling Goals

McDonald’s frames a system-level push on workforce, inclusion and upskilling that the company says touches more than 2 million employees and relies on Global Brand Standards deployed across more than 41,000 locations as of the end of 2023, the company’s Purpose & Impact materials state. The broader package is identified in briefing materials as the McDonald’s Purpose & Impact Progress Report (2024–2025) and echoes language pulled from the McDonald’s Corporation Purpose & Impact Report 2023–2024.

The 2023–2024 report lays out how McDonald’s defines its operating unit for these efforts by name: “The System: The Company, its Franchisees and suppliers are collectively referred to as the ‘System’; also known as McDonald’s ‘three-legged stool.’” That definition frames commitments as shared responsibilities among McDonald’s Corporation, franchisees and suppliers rather than actions by the company alone.

Workforce language in the report centers people-first wording and scale. The report states, “To achieve our purpose, we know that we need to continue putting our people first,” and adds, “And with over 2 million employees working under the Arches, we’re advancing our efforts to promote safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces.” The report also states verbatim, “As of the end of 2023, our Global Brand Standards, aimed at protecting the physical and psychological safety of all our people are in place across more than 41,000 locations worldwide.”

McDonald’s highlights external partnerships as part of the pathway to hiring and inclusion. The 2023–2024 text says the company “we’re partnering with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help us progress on our social impact efforts. For example, by working closely with the Business Advisory Group on Migration, and through our work with the International Youth Foundation (IYF), we’re helping reduce barriers to employment and open new avenues for [...] to implement the same sustainability initiatives.” The quoted passage in the excerpt contains the bracketed omission where additional beneficiaries or program details are not provided.

The report also catalogs brand programs and trademarks that anchor training and community work, listing “McDonald’s, Happy Meal, Hamburger University, Archways to Opportunity, Filet-O-Fish, McCafé, McNuggets, McFish, McFlurry, McBites, Big Mac, Ronald McDonald House Charities, RMHC, Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.” Archways to Opportunity appears among those named programs and trademarks in the text provided.

On measuring progress, the excerpt references a snapshot table titled “Progress Against Our Goals at a Glance” and directs readers to fuller material: “Our approach to each topic is covered in detail on the Our Purpose & Impact pages of our corporate website, including the full scope of our foundational strategies, policies and approaches.” The briefing description identifies the 2024–2025 Progress Report as system-level and covering food quality and sourcing, workplace inclusion, jobs and upskilling, human rights and community programs.

The excerpt concludes with standard legal language fragments tied to forward-looking statements and filings, noting text that references the Securities and Exchange Commission and the sentence, “Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update such forward-looking statements.” The materials provided do not include numeric targets for inclusion, diversity or upskilling, the full text of the Global Brand Standards, nor the detailed NGO program outcomes referenced in the truncated passage, leaving those specifics to the report’s full tables and the Our Purpose & Impact pages named in the excerpt.