Employees working in customer service roles should not be subject to harassment by problematic customers. Demand a customer be banned from your restaurant, cafe, or store.
We demand that the [Company] immediately ban [customer] from our establishment due to the customers’ history of sexist and xenophobic behavior. Today we are standing up to say that bigotry and harassment will no longer be tolerated at [Company] !
Since the summer of 2020, [customer] has made at least four unwelcome comments regarding the physical appearance of female employees. These remarks led [Company] waitresses to feel uncomfortable and unsafe at their own workplace. While employees reported their inappropriate interactions with [customer] to management, no actions were taken.
On top of this, in the spring of 2021 kitchen staff reported [customer]’s use of xenophobic language. On multiple occasions the customer reportedly told Back of the House employees, the majority of whom are undocumented workers of color, to return to their home countries. Staff tried to write off the customer’s remarks as jokes in poor taste. However, they admitted that [customer]’s behavior made them feel afraid to come to work.
In May, management informed staff that they told [customer] this type of behavior would not be tolerated at [Company] . However, since that time [customer]’s sexist and xenophobic comments have continued unchecked, and no further action has been taken to protect employees from his harassment.
We are therefore demanding that [Company] officially ban [customer] from our establishment. Moreover, management must update our workplace harassment protocols so as to offer employees greater protection from such behavior in the future.
As committed service industry employees, we believe that customers come first. However, this philosophy must never be used to justify disrespectful behavior toward employees. All [Company] staff deserve to be treated with dignity, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or nationality. All [Company] staff deserve to feel safe at their workplace. To accomplish this, [Company] must adopt a zero tolerance policy for sexist, racist, and xenophobic behavior from customers, employees, and management alike. [Company] must take a stand by demonstrating that [customer]’s behavior has absolutely no place at our establishment.