Officeworks acts
Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter said, "We were fortunate to have Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO, ECAJ talk to our team and share his knowledge, insights and experience.
Officeworks has started a training program for managers in the wake of the recent incident at their Elsternwick store where a visibly Jewish customer was denied service when he tried to have an AJN article laminated by a store employee who stated she was “pro-Palestine”.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin went to the company’s Melbourne headquarters last week to address nearly 100 Officeworks staff including senior leaders and area managers responsible for store operations across Victoria.
He spoke about the complexity of antisemitism, and what Officeworks and all businesses can do to eradicate it, and make workplaces and stores safer and more welcoming for all customers and team members.
Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter said, “We were fortunate to have Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO, ECAJ talk to our team and share his knowledge, insights and experience.
“This is only the beginning of our work to better ourselves and ensure all members of the Jewish and broader community feel safe and welcome in our stores,” Hunter said.
In the wake of the original incident, she contacted Ryvchin, and they agreed to work together on an employee training program on antisemitism and discrimination.
It will be extended to senior people across the Wesfarmers group, which also owns several other major Australian businesses.
Ryvchin said, “The denial of service to a Jewish man was a painful incident for the community that invoked some of the darkest periods in Jewish history. It also provided an insight into how the pro-Palestine movement has demonised Jews to the extent that the employee believed that committing an act of racial discrimination was noble and virtuous.”
He said Officeworks have set an example for how corporate Australia can confront antisemitism through engagement, education and honest discussion.
“We were pleased to help achieve an important outcome for our community and wider society, and it was a pleasure to speak to such a sincere and thoughtful group of corporate leaders,” Ryvchin said.
The Jewish customer, who does not wish to be identified, says he is going forward with legal action against the company at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
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