Optus apologises for racist job ad
Under "preferences", the ad mentioned "Anglo Saxon".
Optus has apologised for the racist ad.
Optus , the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, has apologised for a racist job advertisement.
Under "preferred" (mispelled as "preffered") the job ad listed "Anglo Saxon", suggesting that white people would be preferred for the position in an Optus store in the North Shore.
Preferred: Candidates who are Anglo Saxon | @Optus apologises for advert saying it is ‘unacceptable’ | Details @SBSNews 630 #diversity #inclusion #workplace pic.twitter.com/9RPF3wGg7L
— Ricardo Gonçalves (@BUSINESSricardo) April 13, 2018
@optus seeks Anglo Saxon in Neutral Bay area... I can't even 🙈 What were they thinking! @seekjobs pic.twitter.com/DqKa2vB2X0
— Catherine Snelson (@bomotweets) April 13, 2018
The job ad, for a casual retail consultant, has since been removed.
In a statement, Optus' vice president of human resources Vaughan Paul said it was "unacceptable".
"Optus proudly supports diversity and employs staff representing more than 70 nationalities," said Paul. "This error is completely unacceptable and a clear breach of our advertising standards and commitment to equal opportunity employment."
The Optus official Twitter account has also been responding to complaints.
Hello Catherine. Optus proudly supports diversity and inclusion and employs staff representing more than 70 nationalities. This is an error and completely unacceptable and a clear breach of our advertising standards and our commitment to equal opportunity. [1]
— Optus (@Optus) April 13, 2018
We’ve removed the advert and will be investigating how this occurred with a view of taking disciplinary action to those who were involved. [2]
— Optus (@Optus) April 13, 2018
"We have removed the advert," said Vaughan Paul, "and will be investigating how this occurred with a view to taking disciplinary action against those involved."
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