McDonald's Briefly Shuts US Office, Prepares Lay Off Notices Amid Restructurings

McDonald's Corp., the parent company of McDonald's restaurants, would briefly close its US offices this week in preparation for informing corporate employees of layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring, Reuters reported.

The fast food giant requested that some American workers and some foreign staff members work from home on Monday through Wednesday so that it could conduct virtual staffing decisions, according to a report.

This request was made in an internal email sent last week to the recipients, and the exact number of people who will be let go is unknown.

"During the week of April 3, we will communicate key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization," said the Chicago-based company.

Company Cancels Upcoming Meetings

Executives requested that any in-person meetings with suppliers and outside parties at the company's headquarters be canceled.

It is expected to be a hectic travel week due to the upcoming Easter holiday, so the company has decided to allow employees to work virtually for at least part of the week.

Meanwhile, employees without access to a computer were instructed to give their managers their personal contact information.

"We want to ensure the comfort and confidentiality of our people during the notification period," the company said.

Around 200,000 employees are employed by McDonald's in corporate positions and company-owned restaurants globally.

Most staff members-roughly 75%-work outside the United States.

Inquiries about the layoffs and the expected number of job cuts were sent to the fast food giant, but DailyMail.com did not receive a response.

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski Has Already Warned Employees in January

CEO Chris Kempczinski issued a stern warning to staff in January, saying that "difficult discussions and choices" lay ahead, according to Fox.

In a company-wide email, Kempczinski revealed that the company would be reorganizing its workforce and potentially eliminating some positions as part of its new business strategy, dubbed "Accelerating the Arches 2.0," to increase productivity and creativity while decreasing overhead.

"[W]e will evaluate roles and staffing levels in parts of the organization, and there will be difficult discussions and decisions ahead," the CEO stated in the email, saying that the company plans to inform impacted workers by April 3.

He also said that some existing jobs would either be moved or removed.

As part of its revised strategy, McDonald's will increase the frequency with which it opens new restaurants.

It has indicated that it may experiment with additional convenience-oriented concepts like the Order Ahead Lane available at the chain's latest restaurant in Forth Worth, Texas.

Meanwhile, the fast food giant's stock hit an all-time high at market closure on March 30.

Financial author and Seeking Alpha contributor David Zanoni said earnings per share estimates for the fast food giant had been raised by analysts in the last three months, from $10.49 to $10.58 in 2023 and from $11.44 to $11.70 in 2024, contributing to Thursday's closing price of $277.79.

According to the most current annual report, McDonald's had more than 13,000 locations in the United States and just over 40,000 restaurants worldwide by the end of 2021.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: McDonald's temporarily shuts US offices, to announce layoffs - From WION