Hiring can be hard. Earlier this week, the MIXUE branch in Taman Sri Sinar put up a hiring ad, hoping to find a new staff. Unfortunately, it included wording that may be interpreted as exclusionary, immediately raising concern among the public.
To no one’s surprise, the “criteria: Malay and Chinese with experience” lit a sugary fire under the Malaysian online community. Despite the offending branch of MIXUE addressing the issue, could it be that the discussion unearthed a deeper crack in Malaysian society?
Following the backlash, Mixue Malaysia released a statement to address the issue. The company clarified that the recruitment poster was put up by the individual branch’s management and doesn’t reflect the company’s official hiring policies. Mixue added, “Unfortunately, an error in their (Taman Sri Sinar Branch’s) hiring process led to misleading information.”. The branch have been instructed to remove the offending ad and follow provided guidance for future recruitment processes.
On the other hand, the Malaysian spirit and cynicism were on full display in the discourse that followed the issue. Some netizens were hyping each other up, and some critiquing the hiring culture and demanding change with their voice. Here’s what the netizens had to say about the issue:
Most of the comments pointed out the blatant racism from the branch’s management, noting that this isn’t a secluded issue. Some also brought up their own experience of facing discrimination while finding a job. However, some said these types of incidents will continue to happen unless the government take measures to prevent it.
This was definitely not an ideal way of getting some positive discussion and airing out the issues of Malaysian society. Who knew ice cream and tea could lead to this? In a statement, MIXUE insists that they “…respect diversity and are committed to fostering an open, inclusive, and welcoming environment for employees from all backgrounds. Any form of discrimination contradicts our core values and will not be tolerated.” What do you think?
Gan contributed to this article.
Sources: Says, The Rakyat Post
