Jon Hyman The Practical Employer
Posted on by Rick Bell

The 10th Nominee for the Worst Employer of 2018 Is … the Whitewasher

White only

If I told you that an employee hung this sign inside his workplace, you might think I was talking about 1950s Mississippi.

I’m not. It’s 2018 Sacramento, California.

That alone would be enough to earn this employer (Vivint Solar) a nomination as the worst employer of 2018, but it’s just the tip of the racist iceberg.

At least according to Teshawn Solomon, the plaintiff in a recently filed lawsuit.

Solomon alleges that in addition to the “White only” sign, spray-painted and hung by his co-workers outside a cardboard fort they built, various supervisors and managers:

  • Called him the “N-word” so frequently it was “like it was part of his everyday vocabulary.”
  • Told him to “reach his black hands out” when being handed a box.
  • Offered him a banana while saying, “Monkeys like bananas.”
He also claims that management ignored his complaints, refused to discipline any of the offenders, and allowed the racist misconduct to continue. Ultimately, Solomon resigned.
For its part, Vivint apologized and admitted the misconduct.

We typically have a policy of not commenting on specific personnel matters or pending litigation. However, in this case, we wish to extend a sincere apology to Mr. Solomon for the deeply concerning and understandably upsetting situation he endured. Mr. Solomon’s experience was an isolated one and it has been addressed by our HR team to ensure something like this never happens again. Mr. Solomon’s experience simply does not reflect the values or culture of Vivint Solar and stands in direct contradiction to our core values as a company.

Its apology, however, does not excuse the stunning failure that allowed this to happen in the first place. According to Solomon’s attorney, “When employees ​freely use racial slurs on a daily basis, brazenly construct a racist monument in plain sight and are then shielded by management, it is only because the culture allowed it.”

He’s 100 percent correct.

The Sacramento Bee has the full details of the lawsuit, including a photo of the offending sign.

Suffice it to say that if your workplace allows a “white only” clubhouse, you might be the worst employer of 2018.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *