Monzo declined Jeremy Hunt an account and attacked those with different views

[XZ_28]

https://www.gbnews.com/politics/monzo-jeremy-hunt-bank-account-conservatives

This is disgusting and not a good look for them at all.

[MikeZ]

Already being discussed here:

Account closure and SAR

A spokeswoman for Monzo said: “Our ambition is to make money work for everyone, which means that we’re politically neutral and personal views play no part in our policies or decision making, including eligibility for a Monzo account. Any suggestion otherwise is categorically untrue. “These cherry-picked comments are personal views of a handful of employees in informal conversations and it is wrong to portray them as the views of Monzo or our thousands of other employees.”

[Rexx]

It’s a non story

[Recchan]

The fact they have employees discussing political views internally could be considered a toxic work environment [for those who disagree with those views and don’t feel like they can also voice their opinions] and that is indeed not very on in itself, which is a story.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t be discussing clients internally. Even if the client is a public figure.

[Graham]

@Recchan

Furthermore, you shouldn’t be discussing clients internally. Even if the client is a public figure.

And that, I reckon, is the real point.

Edit: it’s one thing to have internal conversations amongst work colleagues. It’s what folk do.

When it’s elevated to corporate messaging in public about individuals’ banking affairs……well that’s just daft. But - heads have rolled.

Definitely a bad day at the office.

[Recchan]

Eh, I think there definitely is a point about a toxic work environment. Employers should make sure their employees don’t feel ostracised because of their personal legally held, valid beliefs.

This has been adhjucated in an employment tribunal even, you can’t force someone to act against their belief under threat of sacking. Making it so toxic they had to leave is probably that by proxy.

That and I’m pretty sure actually that you can take employers to court for allowing a toxic work environment to exist.

[WillPS]

@Recchan

The fact they have employees discussing political views internally could be considered a toxic work environment [for those who disagree with those views and don’t feel like they can also voice their opinions] and that is indeed not very on in itself, which is a story.

I strongly disagree. Presume you’ve not worked many places but as someone who has the best teams are the ones who can discuss whatever’s on their minds, respecting one anothers differences. The worst places are the ones where everyone feels like they have to hold their tongue or talk to one another in corporate-speak.

[Rexx]

Comment removed for being off topic?

It’s an inside reality check that employees in financial services talk about customers all the time - no point pretending otherwise.

Even further to that I have seen things removed when a SAR has been requested, or would we prefer to pretend these things don’t happen?

[Recchan]

I promise you there is a line crossed when you brandish 40% of the country as evil for being Tory’s. That’s a toxic work environment. You can disagree with people respectfully, like this gentleman did.

Flashback: McCain tells supporter Obama is 'a decent...

“He is a decent man with very different ideals” an assumption that all conservatives are evil is a) wrong b) toxic in a work environment and c) when talking about a customer group, you should get the sack

You can disagree with it all you’d like and that would make you a very misguided man, but still one worthy of a base level of respect where I don’t label you as actually evil.

[WillPS]

@Recchan

I promise you there is a line crossed when you brandish 40% of the country as evil for being Tory’s. That’s a toxic work environment.

I disagree a bit less with this statement, but that is not at all the same as saying that “political discussion” by neccessity makes a workplace toxic.

You’re also unhelpfully conflating “conservative voters” with “Conservatives”.

[Recchan]

@WillPS

I disagree a bit less with this statement, but that is not at all the same as saying that “political discussion” by neccessity makes a workplace toxic.

It is when it’s slanted all in the favour of one side and demonising language is allowed

@WillPS

You’re also unhelpfully conflating “conservative voters” with “Conservatives”.

Because actually the article worded it in an ambiguous way. For all we know they meant conservatives as in more traditional and skewed a little more to centre right.

[Oberoth]

Employers don’t have all these mythical responsibilities. They have have to pay you, meet health and safety requirements and don’t discriminate based upon protected characteristics such as gender or race.

There is zero right to protection or freedom of expression for being a Tory in a commercial environment.

When I was at Uni, a Tory came out of the (Tory) closet and everyone shunned her - except a mate of mine, who took pity on her. However, I said told my mate ‘that’ wasn’t allowed in our flat or any gatherings.

[Recchan]

You can take an employer to a tribunal for facilitating a hostile working environment and I would suggest Googling before making comments

It’s better to have someone think you’re a fool rather than confirm it for them

Also a flat is a very different place to a job. Stop the false equivalence fallacy. But I would also like to let you know that you behaved in a childish manner and should grow up, all of you that shunned her. No wonder Britain is divided. Everyone is out for scalps instead of compromise and discussion

Re: specifically Monzo, FCA have given strong guidance on workplace harassment (which includes allowing a culture to persist that makes an employee feel threatened; which is very reasonable if you are being labelled as evil) according to PwC

How to deal with toxic workplace behaviours

I will reiterate: Monzo CEO needs to sack whoever is propagating it or resign himself

[MikeZ]

@Oberoth

However, I said told my mate ‘that’ wasn’t allowed in our flat or any gatherings.

I think it’s very sad how people class themselves and each other based on their political views, especially nowadays.

[WillPS]

@Recchan

You can take an employer to a tribunal for facilitating a hostile working environment and I would suggest Googling before making comments

Good luck with this in the real world.

[o99]

This is basically clickbait. How can the views of some employees expressed during an informal chat be extrapolated to represent the views of a whole company (which is what the headline is doing)???

Surely any company with a few dozen employees or more will have some employees who despise the conservatives, as well as some employees who despise labour.

[Recchan]

@o99

This is basically clickbait. How can the views of some employees expressed during an informal chat be extrapolated to represent the views of a whole company (which is what the headline is doing)???

Because this is endemic in Monzo culture. There’s been reports before that their conservative leaning employees felt since they couldn’t speak freely without ostracisation on the table

@o99

Surely any company with a few dozen employees or more will have some employees who despise the conservatives, as well as some employees who despise labour.

Have that conversation at the pub on an equal playing field. Not on internal company communications. Also, despise as you want, but there’s a level where it becomes unprofessional and a level of misconduct is involved. Labelling 40% of the voting pool as evil, is that imo

[WillPS]

@Recchan

There’s been reports before that their conservative leaning employees felt since they couldn’t speak freely without ostracisation on the table

Source or this is slander.

[N26throwaway]

It came out during the SAR incident. Current and former employees speaking anonymously saying they didn’t feel comfortable sharing their opposing views, because they feared doing so would be career limiting or ending. Don’t remember the exact phrasing. I’ll try to find the link.

https://archive.is/YpN7q

the man claimed that a current employee has since contacted him claiming she “can’t say this because it would be career limiting”. He also claimed another ex-employee of the company said they “couldn’t cope with the intolerance”.

And there was this recently:

Evidence Reveals Big Bank, Monzo, Holds Gender Critical Beliefs in Contempt

I have received screenshots from past and present employees of Monzo, revealing highly derogatory comments being made on internal communication channels at the bank. The staff members who have provided me with these screenshots have asked to remain anonymous. They told me that they are too scared to challenge the culture internally, for fear of repercussions.

It doesn’t quite track that it’s conservatives who feel that way, because it’s not, it’s those with gender critical opinions.

But it’s all I’ve really seen that could be attributed to their claim.

Edit: perhaps he’s referring to this quote from that second article:

I have spoken to former staff who felt alienated and ostracised by Monzo, simply because of their personal beliefs. One former employee (who asked to remain anonymous) told me that he left his job because the “constant political activism was too stressful”. He described colleagues openly “insulting or making fun of British conservative politcal figures”. He told me: “the final straw came when the DEI officer blatantly told us that if we were not speaking up against the murder of George Floyd, we were complicit in racism”.

I don’t know if @Graham or @Mathew want to take a look and intercede at this point, because I don’t think it’s appropriate nor the sort of discussion wanted on here.

[Ryan]

Monzo staff even refer to themselves as part of a collective.

Resistance is futile!