Welcome to Diverge

Subscribe to DIVERGE.

Author: Aleena Gardezi

GrubHub CEO Faces Backlash Over Election-Related Letter to Employees

Posted November 11, 2016

On November 9th, Matt Mahoney, the CEO of Grubhub, the online food ordering and delivery service sent out to a letter to his employees, sharing his thoughts on the election.

The purpose of the letter was to emphasize that the company would not tolerate hateful attitudes on the team and promote a culture of support and inclusiveness. Instead, countless media outlets reported that he suggested that those who voted for Donald Trump should resign.

Although his letter, full text below, never stated that employees that vote for Donald Trump should resign, several media sources and social media followers jumped to the conclusion that he was targeting those who voted for Trump.

Mahoney has received a lot of backlash for his comments and many on social media are pushing for a boycott of the website. On November 10, he issued another statement stating that his comments had been misconstrued and the intention of the letter was to advocate inclusion and tolerance, regardless of political affiliation.

So what did he really say?

The letter did say that he didn’t agree with Trump’s views and if Trump worked for him, his actions would have led to him being fired. He emphasized that he would protect those on his team who were scared or personally exposed.

The email ended with “ I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what’s right is worth it.”

The rest just might have been people jumping to their own conclusions.

You can read the letters below and decide for yourself.

The email text is below:

SUBJECT: So… that happened… what’s next?

I’m still trying to reconcile my own worldview with the overwhelming message that was delivered last night. Clearly there are a lot of people angry and scared as the antithesis of every modern presidential candidate won and will be our next president.

While demeaning, insulting and ridiculing minorities, immigrants and the physically/mentally disabled worked for Mr. Trump, I want to be clear that this behavior – and these views, have no place at Grubhub. Had he worked here, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.

We have worked for years cultivating a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating – including all genders, races, ethnicities and sexual, cultural or ideological preferences. We are better, faster and stronger together.

Further I absolutely reject the nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump and will work to shield our community from this movement as best as I can. As we all try to understand what this vote means to us, I want to affirm to anyone on our team that is scared or feels personally exposed, that I and everyone else here at Grubhub will fight for your dignity and your right to make a better life for yourself and your family here in the United States.

If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here. We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team. I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what’s right is worth it.

Stay strong,
Matt

His updated statement is below:

This year’s presidential election was undoubtedly divisive and left many of our employees feeling concerned. In response, I wrote a company-wide email that was intended to advocate for inclusion and tolerance — regardless of political affiliation — during this time of transition for our country.

Some of the statements in my email (please see full text below) have been misconstrued. I want to clarify that I did not ask for anyone to resign if they voted for Trump. I would never make such a demand. To the contrary, the message of the email is that we do not tolerate discriminatory activity or hateful commentary in the workplace, and that we will stand up for our employees.

Grubhub welcomes and accepts employees with all political beliefs, no matter who they voted for in this or any election. We do not discriminate on the basis of someone’s principles, or political or other beliefs.

I deeply respect the right of all citizens to vote for the candidate of their choice. In fact, I offered extra flexibility on Tuesday and encouraged all our employees to go vote. There is a place for all points of view at Grubhub. We value diverse perspectives and believe those perspectives help to create a better product and a better workplace culture.

Grubhub’s leadership team has worked for years to create a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating. We are better, faster and stronger together, and so is America.

Matt Maloney, Grubhub CEO

Share your thoughts with us on our social media pages:

Facebook

Twitter