September 22nd 2023.
TikTok has been hit with another wave of discrimination accusations, this time from former employees. Nnete Matima and Joel Carter, two Black TikTok employees, have filed a class action charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming that the company downplays complaints of racial discrimination and retaliates against people for speaking out.
Matima, based in New York City, experienced extreme burnout only one year into her sales position. She was taking on 75% of the team's sales outreach, and heard rumors of her supervisors calling her racist names behind her back. She suffered her first-ever panic attack just from seeing the building. Matima took her complaints to HR, but they were pushed to the side. After filing a second complaint, she was fired.
Carter, who works in the Austin, Texas office, was initially welcomed with open arms when he was hired as a risk analyst. However, after being promoted to policy manager, he began to experience the same treatment as Matima. He was subject to a false narrative of him being “angry” and “tense” in the office, and Carter believes this perpetuates a “historic false narrative about people of color, especially Black people.” After going to HR and requesting a transfer, he was still fired in August 2023.
A spokesperson from TikTok claims they take employee claims “very seriously” and have policies in place that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. They also have “a strong record of championing diversity and inclusion,” the rep said. However, this isn't the first time TikTok has been accused of discrimination. In May 2020, Black TikTok creators organized a protest against the company, claiming their content was being censored. TikTok later admitted to a “technical glitch” in the system and apologized for making Black creators feel “unsafe.”
Matima and Carter's experience with TikTok has raised serious questions about the company's HR practices. The pair hopes that they can help protect future employees from going through the same situation. In light of this, TikTok has announced they are donating $1 million to 10 HBCUs to boost minorities in healthcare.
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