Top firms failing to deal with rising anti-semitism in workplace

Corporate America is failing to support Jewish employees during an unprecedented global spike in anti-semitism, according to watchdog StopAntisemitism.org.

In a ‘first-of-its-kind’ report, the watchdog has evaluated how companies are addressing rising anti-semitism in the workplace. Out of 25 leading US corporations, three organisations received an ‘F’ grade; 14 got a ‘D’; three attained a ‘C’; three received a ‘B’; and just two got an ‘A.’ 

Google, Cigna and Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever received ‘F’ grades for “creating hostile work environments for their Jewish employees”, confirmed the report. Google failed to fire its Global Lead for Diversity, Strategy and Research Kamau Bobb; who, in an act of vile antisemitism, had written that Jews have an “insatiable appetite for war and killing”, said the watchdog. Unilever failed for ignoring the outrage of its Jewish employees over its decision to support Ben & Jerry’s boycott of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A long-time Jewish graphic designer for the company quit in protest.

TOP MARKS FOR L’ORÉAL & AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS

In contrast, the French beauty giant L’Oréal received an ‘A’ grade for its Employee Human Rights Policy; which explicitly prohibits “anti-semitism” as an “expression of hatred.” The company’s “Influencer Value Charter” also explicitly states that “influencers will not share views or engage in behaviour which could be interpreted as anti-semitism”; amongst other forms of hatred. The other ‘A’ grader company was American Eagle Outfitters.

Facebook, Walmart and Target received ‘B’ grades, while Nike, Johnson & Johnson and Apple attained a ‘C’ grade. Amazon, Microsoft, P&G, Walgreens and ESTÉE LAUDER are amongst the 14 countries with a ‘D’ grade. The report evaluated how America’s leading firms across various sectors are addressing Jewish discrimination in the workplace; based on three baseline measures. These include corporate platform; allyship; and Internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) policies. Grades assigned to each corporation based on these factors ranged widely across industries and companies, confirmed the watchdog. Overall, the report documents a broader failure of corporate America to support its Jewish employees during an unprecedented global spike in antisemitism.

BETTER SUPPORT FOR JEWISH  STAFF

“Jews, the most victimised group per capita in the US by hate crimes, have been targeted and marginalised in the American corporate workplace,” stated StopAntisemitism.org Executive Director Liora Rez. “This is unacceptable. StopAntisemitism.org calls on all corporations, including the 25 named in this report, to strengthen their corporate platforms, allyship practices and DE&I policies to support their Jewish employees; and put an end to anti-semitism in the workplace.”

Corporations should put protocols in place to ensure the safety and support of its Jewish employees, said the watchdog. Key recommendations for companies include:

• Cultivate a safe space for Jewish employees to express their beliefs that are core to their religion and identity.
• Include anti-semitism in their DE&I practices.
• Release statements against antisemitism (similar to statement released in support of other persecuted ethnic and minority groups).
• Utilise the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-semitism – the definition utilised by the Biden Administration and the US State Department, in order to more effectively combat antisemitic incidents in the workplace.

StopAntisemitism.org works to hold anti-semites accountable and to create consequences for their bigoted actions by exposing the threat that they present to all Americans; and showing how their ideologies conflict with American values, morals and principles. The watchdog is calling on victims of anti-semitism in the workplace to share their experiences in order to continue to hold companies accountable for discrimination. Click here to read the full report.

The latest report from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) also found that social media companies are ‘failing’ to act on anti-Semitism. Click here to read more.