Shanghai: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited has fired a manager who allegedly sexually assaulted a female employee and will establish policies to prevent sexual harassment, Chief Executive Daniel Zhang said on Monday.
Manager – in Alibaba City Retail The unit, which provides grocery delivery from local supermarkets – “has been fired and will never be hired again,” Zhang said in a memo published on Alibaba’s intranet that was seen by Reuters.
Zhang said in the memo that the man told management there were “intimate acts” with the employee while she was intoxicated, with police investigating the matter.
Reuters was unable to reach the person for comment.
When asked about the memo, a company spokesperson told Reuters: “Alibaba Group has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, and ensuring a safe workplace for all of our employees is Alibaba’s top priority.”
Over the weekend, a female employee posted an 11-page account on Alibaba’s intranet in which she said her supervisor and a customer sexually assaulted her during a business trip, and that managers failed to act.
Sources related to the event later ranked the top-trending Weibo, China’s Twitter-esque microblog, which has come to terms with the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement following a celebrity sex scandal last week.
Zhang said the president and human resources chief of Citi’s retail unit had resigned over the incident, and that Alibaba’s chief people officer had “received a demerit”.
In the memo, Zhang said the investigation of other individuals referred to the victim’s account is ongoing.
Alibaba Zhang said in the memorandum, will conduct company-wide training for sexual harassment prevention and launch a channel for employees to report incidents. It will also issue a formal, zero-tolerance anti-sexual harassment policy.
Zhang also said that Alibaba strongly opposes the “ugly culture of forced drinking.”
The memo detailed the victim’s account of the incident, in which she recalled to superiors that she was ordered to drink with co-workers during dinner on a business trip.
“Regardless of gender, whether it is a request made by a customer or supervisor, our employees have the right to decline it,” Zhang said in the memo.
“This incident is a disgrace to all Alibaba employees. We must rebuild, and we must change,” he said.
Manager – in Alibaba City Retail The unit, which provides grocery delivery from local supermarkets – “has been fired and will never be hired again,” Zhang said in a memo published on Alibaba’s intranet that was seen by Reuters.
Zhang said in the memo that the man told management there were “intimate acts” with the employee while she was intoxicated, with police investigating the matter.
Reuters was unable to reach the person for comment.
When asked about the memo, a company spokesperson told Reuters: “Alibaba Group has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, and ensuring a safe workplace for all of our employees is Alibaba’s top priority.”
Over the weekend, a female employee posted an 11-page account on Alibaba’s intranet in which she said her supervisor and a customer sexually assaulted her during a business trip, and that managers failed to act.
Sources related to the event later ranked the top-trending Weibo, China’s Twitter-esque microblog, which has come to terms with the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement following a celebrity sex scandal last week.
Zhang said the president and human resources chief of Citi’s retail unit had resigned over the incident, and that Alibaba’s chief people officer had “received a demerit”.
In the memo, Zhang said the investigation of other individuals referred to the victim’s account is ongoing.
Alibaba Zhang said in the memorandum, will conduct company-wide training for sexual harassment prevention and launch a channel for employees to report incidents. It will also issue a formal, zero-tolerance anti-sexual harassment policy.
Zhang also said that Alibaba strongly opposes the “ugly culture of forced drinking.”
The memo detailed the victim’s account of the incident, in which she recalled to superiors that she was ordered to drink with co-workers during dinner on a business trip.
“Regardless of gender, whether it is a request made by a customer or supervisor, our employees have the right to decline it,” Zhang said in the memo.
“This incident is a disgrace to all Alibaba employees. We must rebuild, and we must change,” he said.
.