Aritzia accused of racism, discrimination by former staff: report
Vancouver-based fashion giant Aritzia is facing allegations of fostering a toxic work environment with some former employees claiming they faced discrimination and racism, according to a new investigation by Business Insider.
The publication said several of the 53 current and former Aritzia employees it spoke with claimed that working at the company was “particularly gruelling” and perpetuated a culture that could be “high-pressure and exploitative.”
The investigation delves into several examples of Aritzia’s alleged harmful workplace culture, highlighting instances of employees having to rate each other’s appearances, body shaming, demanding sales expectations, poor mental health support, and racism towards Black employees.
Five employees that worked at Ontario Aritzia stores between 2005 and 2019 told Business Insider that “their managers asked them to rate their own or other’s appearance from one to 10 in daily huddles.”
One former retail employee revealed that when it came to the rating system, “automatically if you’re skinny, you’re not going to be below seven.'”
Some employees interviewed highlighted that they felt “anxiety” due to the company’s intense and competitive culture.
This is due to the sales per hour (SPH) policy Aritzia implements for its style advisors, which is also used to determine how many shifts they get.
To increase sales, some style advisors “sometimes clocked in late, skipped breaks, or clocked out early losing wages in the process,” notes Business Insider.
Some Black employees claimed they faced “overt racism” during their time working at Aritzia.
Two former Black Artizia employees who worked at a Toronto location told Business Insider their manager instructed them to buy her a coffee “telling them to make it the colour of their skin.”
Other former Black employees claimed they were only assigned to specific tasks on their shifts, such as vacuuming, steaming, or taking clothes from the fitting rooms back to the sales floor.
Business Insider also reviewed a court filing from a former Black employee at a store in Ontario, who sued the company and her store manager. The filing, notes Business Insider, claimed the employee was “shoved” and called a “dirty African” by her former store manager. Aritzia and the store manager denied those claims in a statement of defence.
An Aritzia spokesperson told Daily Hive that the company is committed to diversity and inclusion.
“At Aritzia, we pride ourselves on our inclusive culture, incredible diversity, and opportunities for professional growth, and we are committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment free from discrimination,” stated the spokesperson.
“We recognize that our customer base is an expansive and diverse community, and we strive to reflect that community in our boutiques through the brands we carry, the people we hire, and the self-expression we encourage through fashion.”
In the statement, the spokesperson said that 85% of its global team employees identify as women and 54% identify as BIPOC “and we continue to invest in and strengthen our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).”
The investigation said many sources it spoke to felt Aritzia’s damaging company culture stemmed from its founder, Brian Hill, who had “exacting standards” for running the company.
The article highlights claims from former employees who allege instances of Hill flying “into a rage” and some allege he “yelled and threw things at employees.”
Several former employees also claimed Hill “ruled through fear and intimidation.”
In a response to Business Insider, an Aritzia spokesperson denied the claims regarding Hill’s behaviour.
“Brian is an exacting CEO, just like that of any other highly profitable global company, but he is also notably devoted to fostering the careers and growth of his employees.”
“The allegations in this story are not representative of the company culture that Brian and his leadership team at Aritzia have fostered and built,” the spokesperson told Business Insider.
Aritzia provided Daily Hive with the same statement.
Last year, Hill announced he would be stepping down as Aritzia’s CEO.
Follow Channels and Categories