Ex-employee sues Specialized, alleges sexual harassment

[fiamme red]

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...t#.X-TB5dhKi70

In a 59-page complaint, Parenti charged that she and some of her fellow female employees were objectified and bullied by male supervisors and even male underlings and interns, were not compensated equally, not given credit for successful projects, and not given access to test bikes that male colleagues received, among other complaints. Parenti said she was pressured to ride a mountain bike at an event in Whistler, British Columbia, while she was pregnant, and when she refused she was forced to work in a Specialized show booth for two days. She said a "Mother's Room" at the Morgan Hill headquarters, set aside for working mothers to express breast milk for infants, had no lock, no sink, and no refrigerator, and was used as a nap room by maintenance workers.

[benb]

At the time Specialized founder and CEO Mike Sinyard told BRAIN, "Regrettably, some of the people we had, who've done a fine job for us, we don't need; we have to make room for new people. I know that sounds harsh, but that's the way it is."

Class... reminds me of Larry Ellison.

Hard to believe discrimination could happen at a company run by Sinyard, I mean talk about a lily white reputation!

[72gmc]

The amount of respect shown to people tends to be calibrated from the top ...

The anecdote about the mother's room is just maddening for its stupidity. There is no good business reason to alienate some of the hardest workers--working mothers--and all sorts of evidence that they can help a company thrive when treated well. See: Patagonia.

[jamesdak]

I'll play devils advocate for a second though. What bothers me in cases like this is how nothing is said by the employee until they are fired. Not that I know that to be the case here.

I'd curious if complaints had been filed previously and not addressed. And no I'm not making excuses for anything.

Sort of what happened here with our local soccer team, RSL. The players decided to go all political one day and not play a game. The owner spoke out against their actions the next day in the media. Then all of a sudden the players responded with all these accusations against the owner and MLS is taken the team away. I don't respect anyone that stands by and says nothing until they feel slighted. If it's wrong speak up right away, deal with it properly.

In the RSL case one of the biggest complainers is an ex-player/coach with alcoholic problems. The owner was the only one to hire him as a coach and give him a chance to deal with his issues. Now he speaks out with all these "past issues". I just don't get the whole "I kept my mouth shut for years and now I'm dumping it all". Yeah, I know I'm not the majority.

But I know throughout my whole career I spoke up no matter the consequences. Cost me a couple of article 15's and a demotion in the Army along with other actions over the years. But at least I did not sit idly by when wrong was happening. Couldn't always beat the establishment but did my part.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

I'll play devils advocate for a second though. What bothers me in cases like this is how nothing is said by the employee until they are fired. Not that I know that to be the case here.

I'd curious if complaints had been filed previously and not addressed. And no I'm not making excuses for anything.

Often it is a case that employees make complaints to management, but the complaints don't become public until after the employee is fired or forced out. And in some cases, the employee being fired is as a result of their complaints to management. If you felt you were being treated unfairly at work, would you first go to the courts, or would you go to your company management? Typically, people don't go to the courts until they've tried all their other options.

[Velocipede]

I'm not surprised at this. I know people inside at S and it's a pretty top down attitude like this. Now, her being fired, could've been related to the downswing from COVID but they weren't hired back. That could be due to working remotely from Connecticut. That's a huge commute and some companies that are super paranoid, and S falls into that bucket, they might not like her being so far away from HQ.

Not sure what really happened since I don't know her and don't 100% know what happened. But like I said, I've heard things before here and at other places in the bike world. The world is changing. Women or minorities (includes People of Color and LGBTQ) aren't standing around and letting it happen. Good for them. It's not hard to be a good person or a good employer.

[benb]

Right.. Specialized is never going to reveal publicly that she'd worked with HR on these issues and got no help and then was marked to be let go in retaliation.

Maybe that's what happened, maybe it's not what happened.

But are you more likely to feel sympathy for the single mother let go from her job or for the zillionaires running the company?

I'd probably believe the MLS player even with alcohol problems over the multi-billionaire owner. Our local billionaire MLS owner got caught in a prostitution sting and got out of it so he'd probably have zero credibility if challenged in a discrimination suit by a female employee.

edit: Apparently Sinyard might only be worth $100 million or so? Not playing in the big leagues with sports team owners.

[mg2ride]

My next new bike will be a Specialized now

[Waldo62]

You have zero information regarding the plaintiff's communications with HR and her supervisors, yet your first post in this thread blames the victim. Surprising from someone who "did not sit idly by when wrong was happening."

Originally Posted by jamesdak

I'll play devils advocate for a second though. What bothers me in cases like this is how nothing is said by the employee until they are fired. Not that I know that to be the case here.

I'd curious if complaints had been filed previously and not addressed. And no I'm not making excuses for anything.

Sort of what happened here with our local soccer team, RSL. The players decided to go all political one day and not play a game. The owner spoke out against their actions the next day in the media. Then all of a sudden the players responded with all these accusations against the owner and MLS is taken the team away. I don't respect anyone that stands by and says nothing until they feel slighted. If it's wrong speak up right away, deal with it properly.

In the RSL case one of the biggest complainers is an ex-player/coach with alcoholic problems. The owner was the only one to hire him as a coach and give him a chance to deal with his issues. Now he speaks out with all these "past issues". I just don't get the whole "I kept my mouth shut for years and now I'm dumping it all". Yeah, I know I'm not the majority.

But I know throughout my whole career I spoke up no matter the consequences. Cost me a couple of article 15's and a demotion in the Army along with other actions over the years. But at least I did not sit idly by when wrong was happening. Couldn't always beat the establishment but did my part.

[bathsalts]

Originally Posted by mg2ride

My next new bike will be a Specialized now

you're going to buy a bike specifically because someone sued Spesh for sexual harassment? Weird flex dude.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Waldo62

You have zero information regarding the plaintiff's communications with HR and her supervisors, yet your first post in the thread blames the victim. Surprising from someone who "did not sit idly by when wrong was happening."

LOL, slow down, read it again. I'm not blaming anyone.

[FlashUNC]

I don't care how nice the Tarmac is or their lunch hour rides, Spesh has sounded like a horrible place to work for a long time.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by benb

Right.. Specialized is never going to reveal publicly that she'd worked with HR on these issues and got no help and then was marked to be let go in retaliation.

Maybe that's what happened, maybe it's not what happened.

But are you more likely to feel sympathy for the single mother let go from her job or for the zillionaires running the company?

I'd probably believe the MLS player even with alcohol problems over the multi-billionaire owner. Our local billionaire MLS owner got caught in a prostitution sting and got out of it so he'd probably have zero credibility if challenged in a discrimination suit by a female employee.

edit: Apparently Sinyard might only be worth $100 million or so? Not playing in the big leagues with sports team owners.

Yep, that is true often in that the individuals did address this repeatedly with HR and an management. The you have the times when that isn't the case. It's a critical point because it is more grievous when HR and management fail to properly address the complaints. I guess well see if that's the case here with Specialized.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Waldo62

You have zero information regarding.......

I would argue that we all have zero information regarding this case from either side. Anyone can file a suit for anything. Doesn't mean any of it is true (ask our President).

Not taking anyone's side here, and only hope for justice, whatever that is. Just find it odd to speculate on either side.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by benb

Class... reminds me of Larry Ellison.

Hard to believe discrimination could happen at a company run by Sinyard, I mean talk about a lily white reputation!

We'll see from the outcome of the lawsuit as to whether Specialized discriminated on the basis of sex, but Sinyard's statement sounds very much like age discrimination to me.

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...f#.X-UCyNhKi70

The layoffs were primarily in customer service, purchasing, logistics, marketing and several in product management. All those let go received a "generous" severance and will retain their health benefits, Sinyard said...

In a letter sent to dealers and in an interview with BRAIN, Sinyard was clear that the COVID-19 crisis has forced the company to reexamine its priorities and its goals. "Specialized is now 46 years old and we've grown a lot. Regrettably, some of the people we had, who've done a fine job for us, we don't need; we have to make room for new people. I know that sounds harsh, but that's the way it is," he said.