Employees at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos spoke of cases of harassment as well as discrimination based on gender, age and race at work. The allegations also affect the founder of the forum, Klaus Schwab.
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That’s according to The Wall Street Journal, citing interviews and correspondence with 80 current and former WEF employees who worked from the 1980s to the present, as well as other knowledgeable sources.
The publication writes that at least six employees were sexually harassed by senior managers, some of whom still work at the company. Two girls said they encountered similar behavior from VIP guests of the forum.
Several other workers said they were aware of harassment by WEF founder and director Klaus Schwab. According to the WSJ, co-workers warned new employees about Schwab: if left alone with him, he would make inappropriate comments that would be more uncomfortable than threatening.
Six other employees were fired or otherwise punished for being pregnant or returning from maternity leave. A case involving the head of the startup department from 2017 is being discussed among the company’s employees. The girl joined the staff, but due to her impending pregnancy she was fired and the short period of work was called a probationary period.
It is reported that several years ago the head of the FEM ordered to reduce the group of employees over 50 years of age to reduce the average age of the staff. The head of the human resources department was also fired, who recalled that dismissals need a good reason.
In addition, the forum’s employees complained about cases of racial insults, as well as the lack of professional growth in the company. At the same time, many VEF employees noted the usefulness of the experience gained and meeting colleagues, as well as the friendliness of the management.
According to the WSJ, while preparing the article, Schwab contacted the magazine’s editor-in-chief and its publisher, Dow Jones, to express concerns about its content.
However, having failed to influence the publication, the founder of the VEF announced to employees at the end of May his desire to step down as director of the forum, calling it a long-ago decision. Klaus Schwab will act as non-executive chairman of the board of directors.
Author:
Akhmed Sadulayev
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
