One former employee of a Panda Express location in Santa Clarita, Calif., says she was ordered by her superiors to strip down to her underwear and hug a partially clad coworker during a 2019 "training seminar" sponsored by the company, this being a prerequisite for promotion.
The 23-year-old is now suing Panda Restaurant Group, headquartered in Rosemead, Calif., along with Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy in Pico Rivera, Calif., for sexual battery, a hostile work environment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Because of the nature of the case, it could cross over from a civil case into a sexual assault case. For this reason, the name of the plaintiff is not disclosed in the suit.
The Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy promises on its website that the company's workshops and seminars will "change" people in order to "change the world." This is followed by an "incoherent mess," to quote PJ Media's Bryan Preston, of other information that begs the question: Why did Panda Express hire this company in the first place?
"Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy began with a vision and a statement powerful. That as the declaration is made, the action is taken which was done with love and passion," the website nonsensically reads.
"With that love and passion creating basic and advanced programs and leaderships to prepare leaders both in their community, in their jobs and their homes, Alive continues to thrive on our dedication and passion given to each individual person and that is why great doors continue to open in our walk. Always remember the change in me will change the world."
If you are able to make heads or tails out of these statements, let us know in the comments below what you think they mean.
Why are so many corporations abusing their employees these days?
Preston calls these statements "incompetence," suggesting that "whoever hired them either didn't vet them or has some other motive for hiring them, or hired them based on someone else's recommendation."
"These seminars are never cheap," Preston adds. "They come with the direct cost of hiring the firm, usually booking conference space at a hotel or conference center, meals or at least coffee and snacks, and the time that employees would be working, instead devoted to the seminars. These seminars can run from a half-day to multiple days."
While Panda's corporate culture approach is arguably less offensive than Coca-Cola's, it is still putting its employees seeking advancement in uncomfortable and inappropriate situations.
According to the complaint, the former Panda employee and several others were psychologically abused by Alive consultants, who told them to "sit down and not talk" while being "left in isolation for a full hour." After that, a man stormed the room yelling in Spanish and "berating" these same former employees.
"The man, an Alive Seminars employee, loudly proclaimed that the attendees were 'nothing' and 'don't matter,' and berated them individually," the suit alleges. "The overall effect was that of a particularly nasty drill sergeant."
It got worse after that as employees were told to basically get naked, particularly the women.
"Meanwhile, Alive Seminars staff were openly ogling the women in their state of undress, smiling and laughing," reports explain.
The exercise culminated with the victims being forced to stand up and start yelling about their "inner struggles" until all of the other employees in the group "believed them."
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