08-06-2020
Everlane is an apparel company known for its mission of “radical transparency.” This transparency referred to its claims that it was open about pricing and its ecological footprint. It is now the latest company to be accused of harboring a toxic work environment. Former employees accuse the company of engaging in anti-Black conduct and a culture of “favoritism.”
The “ex.wives.club” posted its collective experiences with the company on its Instagram feed. The 14 employees that initially made up the group stated that they have “witnessed and experienced” anti-Black behavior, “prejudice in the advancement of Black and POC employees, racial and heteronormative supremacy, manipulation and the intimidation of employees who have attempted to address these issues.” The social media post provides specific examples of alleged discriminatory acts.
Everlane conducted an internal investigation in response to the complaints. At a July 23rd meeting, it was announced that the investigation confirmed many of the complaints. Insensitive terms were used in reference to Black models, employees had their personal space invaded by leaders touching them, inappropriate terms were used to refer to people of color, new hires were isolated and unwelcome, there was a lack of consistent policies around promotions, and there were no formal processes to escalate harassment and/or discrimination issues. The company’s chief creative officer, a significant target of the employees’ complaints, was announced as transitioning to a different position within the company.
Everlane also announced that it intended to take further action including rewriting its code of ethics, opening a seat for a Black board member, adding a Black person to the senior leadership team within the next year, rolling out anti-racism training for the entire company by August, and partnering with two racism accountability organizations.