McDonald's has fired its chief executive officer Steve Easterbrook for engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee in violation of the company's policy.
In a statement shared with newsrooms across the United States of America, the company said that Easterbrook had shown poor judgement in dating a colleague.
Easterbrook acknowledged that he had made a mistake and accepted the decision that had been reached by the board members of the company.
He expressed his gratitude for having been given the opportunity to serve in the plum position.
"This was a mistake,” he wrote. “Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on, " he add.
The 52-year-old joined McDonald's in 1993 as it's London manager and rose through the ranks to become the chief executive officer.
An investigation was undertaken by the company with the board members meeting to vote for his removal as the chief executive officer.
McDonald's protocols forbid colleagues to be romantically involved with each other.
Tanya Harrell, a former employee at McDonald's, said that the company had suffered from dozens of cases of sexual harassment.
"With the firing of Steve Easterbrook, we now know why,” Tanya Harell said.
“It’s clear McDonald’s culture is rotten from top to bottom. McDonald’s needs to sit down with worker-survivors and put them at the center of any solution, " she added.