In reports this week, popular Australian beauty superstore MECCA has released a statement saying that it will be commencing an internal investigation into its workplace culture after multiple reports of workplace bullying surfaced.
Complaints of bullying, harassment, unpaid overtime and a toxic “cult-like” culture were originally posted to popular Instagram account @esteelaundry, which was cited by The Guardian this year as the “Instagram collective holding the beauty industry to account.” In the last month, the page has posted more than 50 accounts from various MECCA staff members, both past and present, accusing the company of severe mistreatment.
In one particular post, the account claimed they had received an “overwhelming number of direct messages from employees and customers” who had claimed that they had been discriminated against on the basis of race, weight and not fitting the “MECCA look”.
Since the allegations were first posted on @esteelaundry more employees have also come forward, stating that any attempts to raise these issues with the company’s HR department were ultimately founded to be futile. The Young Workers Centre in Victoria has also received 14 formal complaints backing up these claims in the last two weeks.
A spokesperson for the Young Workers Centre, director Felicity Sowerbutts, has reportedly revealed to Pedestrian TV that their team is currently in the process of trying to best navigate MECCA through the allegations, stating,
“Ultimately it’s about making sure management at MECCA are providing a safe working environment because clearly at the moment they’re falling short.”
Due to the growing media attention surrounding the issue, MECCA has too chosen to release a statement, saying that they are taking the allegations very seriously and have hired an independent consultant to complete what they believe will be an objective overview of their culture,
“MECCA has grown exponentially in the last five years and we acknowledge that, despite all of our best endeavours, our culture may have been tested. Therefore, we have commenced an independent review of our culture to build on what’s working well and address anything that needs to change … we are listening, and we will do whatever is necessary to become better and stronger than ever.”
Something tells us that MECCA will more than likely be left out of the ranking of Australia’s top workplaces in 2020’s in the Great Place to Work Survey, in which the company has been mentioned six times in the last six years.
Featured Image Source: mtv.com.au
