Bengaluru: Swiggy in a pickle; here's why

Companies are increasingly looking to hire people from diverse backgrounds and learning ways to accommodate them. But slip-ups can happen in the process, like it happened with the food delivery startup, Swiggy, which upset persons with disabilities (PWDs) recently. The trouble arose because one of its employees posted an announcement of a job fair on a Facebook group meant for the PWD community, without having any positions for them. Though it’s important to mention that the employee apologised for hurting the sentiments immediately. 

The ad was posted on Tuesday on the social media page of EnAble India Volunteers, which aims to provide employment opportunities for PWDs, pre-employment services, supplemental education, counseling and support services. As the ad clearly states, it was meant for hotel management students for a five-star kitchen that is coming up in Visakhapatnam and is scheduled to be held in the port city today and tomorrow. Since there was no mention of positions for PWDs, 32-year-old Raghavendra Satish Peri from Hyderabad, who is visually impaired, posted a query: “Is this job fair disable-friendly? Is Swiggy willing to hire people with disabilities, if yes in what roles?” 

After the employee, who is a recruiter at Swiggy Kitchen for Kolkata and Visakhapatnam regions, responded that the company does have a position for a junior executive, Peri went on to ask if Swiggy’s workplace is accessible for PWDs or if the company has been sensitised on how to hire candidates across disabilities, because having given over 74 job interveiws, he wrote he’s aware of “the kind of bullying” his community is subjected to.

“I am not saying we have a job for them (PWDs). I am saying if you really want to work with us, send a proposal,” responded the employee, going on to add that “we don’t have anything” for the visually-impaired. Disappointed, Peri wrote back, “You have no idea (how) to work with disabled people, so don’t invite them to this job fair. Please don’t fool us... You need to get disability awareness first”. The matter took a hit when the Swiggy employee shot back, “First of all, we didn’t invite you. So please keep silent. Go through the ad carefully. We are not inviting them. Thank you.”

Dubbing this as an “insult” to the PWD community, Peri urged the members of the Facebook group to report the matter to the Swiggy team. Another member joined in the chat, appreciating the executive for encouarging Peri to send in his resume for consideration, but also questioning his intention of putting the job advertisement in a forum that’s meant for PWDs. “Mind you, these people are quite able and qualified here. Let’s be empathetic in our responses, please. Isn’t this world a difficult place (for them) to live in already?” she asked.

Put out messages that are accessible to people across different disabilities. Also write down the job description distinctly, because what a hearing-impaired can do, a visually impaired cannot

–V Shakthi, campaigner

Taking cognizance of the issue, a spokesperson for Swiggy said, “Swiggy is an equal opportunity organisation and we hire solely on the basis of merit. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour which is contrary to this value. This is a very serious claim and we’re looking into it on priority. We are currently in conversation with the concerned employee to do a thorough enquiry. Rest assured, we will take corrective measures as necessary.” He added that the employee in question was a volunteer on that group and had hired from this forum for the company he used to work previously for, maybe that’s why he took the route. 

When Mirror approached disability rights campaigner V Shakthi, he knew of the matter and remarked that “instances like these are not an aberration, but the norm.” So he listed out the dos and don’ts that individuals or companies can practise while hiring PWDs, “First, put out messages that are accessible to people across different disabilities. Some are visually-impared, some have motor or auditory problems. Second, write down the job description distinctly, because what a hearing-impaired can do, a visually impaired cannot. Three, refrain from posting job ads on social media groups without reading who the group is for, because this can give them false hopes or demoralise them.” 

Source:- https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/food-services/bengaluru-swiggy-in-a-pickle-heres-why/70586548