On 30 April, a 45-second video posted by a Bonia employee, sharing some of the perks of working with Bonia went viral on social media but it unexpectedly attracted many criticisms from the public.
In the video, the employee shared her first month experience working at Bonia, a Malaysia-based international luxury fashion retailer known for its handbags and shoes.
The 45-second video showed scenes such as “comfortable workspace, unlimited snack supplies, free Inside Scoop, free lunch once a month, field trips, and gifts” which are among the benefits for its employees.
Wowww interesting ya workers Bonia pic.twitter.com/GfqagIAI0X
— Shae. (@shaekmdn) April 29, 2022
The video was soon taken down by the said employee but it was then reposted on Twitter by another netizen along with screenshots of the comments posted under the original TikTok upload.
The screenshots showed the video gave an impression that only Chinese were employed to work in Bonia. Thus, many criticised the company for not racially diverse in its hiring.
With that, some said this had turn them off and they are no longer interested in buying Bonia products.
Hehehe pic.twitter.com/p2JGJogeNo
— Shae. (@shaekmdn) April 29, 2022
Some even called to boycott Bonia for its alleged discriminatory hiring practices.
In response to the criticisms, Bonia has released an official statement to explain the misconceptions in the viral video, at the same time said it has always taken pride in nurturing an inclusive work culture.
“Diversity in a workplace is important not only for personal career development but integral for us as a progressive lifestyle brand. We are, and have always been, a company that prides itself on nurturing inclusive work culture,” said Bonia.
We see you, we hear you #bonia pic.twitter.com/jUnfHgpe9u
— BONIA (@BoniaOfficial) April 30, 2022
“From our board of directors to our managerial and office staff and frontliners, we are proud to have talents who come from various backgrounds.”
Bonia then explain that the video portrays only a part of the company and does not reflect it in its entirety.
“Please rest assured that we are actively nurturing diversity from our internal hiring policies and protocols to our training for staff. We highly value our loyal customers’ views and will always continue to make their brand experience with is better. We hope for your kind understanding,” the statement read.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts!
