Apple Responds to #MeToo Exposé: Should Have Handled Incidents ‘Differently’

The Financial Times has published a lengthy article highlighting the views of over a dozen Apple employees, who say the company’s HR team always puts Apple’s reputation ahead of worker welfare.

The publication shares the story of former Apple employee Megan Mohr, who claims a male colleague at Apple took advantage of her in 2013 after a night out drinking together. The colleague had removed her shirt and bra to take photos.

Inspired by the #MeToo movement, Mohr decided in late 2018 to tell Apple of the illicit photos incident. However, the HR representative showed no empathy in dealing with sexual misconduct. He analogized her experience to “a minor traffic accident” noting that Apple couldn’t really get involved.

“Although what he did was reprehensible as a person and potentially criminal, as an Apple employee he hasn’t violated any policy in the context of his Apple work,” HR wrote.

“And because he hasn’t violated any policy we will not prevent him seeking employment opportunities that are aligned with his goals and interests.”

Mohr quit her Apple job as a fraud prevention specialist in January, after 14 years, frustrated by its bureaucracy, and secretive culture, saying she wants “Apple to be the company it pretends to be for its customers.”

In interviews with 15 female Apple employees, the Financial Times found that Mohr’s frustrating experience with Apple’s HR spans across at least seven Apple departments in six US states.

In response to the FT’s report, Apple has issued the following statement, noting they “should have handled them differently”:

“There are some accounts raised that do not reflect our intentions or our policies and we should have handled them differently, including certain exchanges reported in this story,” Apple said. “As a result, we will make changes to our training and processes.” It declined to comment on specific cases “out of respect for the privacy of individuals involved.”

The #MeToo movement is continently inspiring female Apple employees to come forward with their claims of harassment.

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