Bunnings employee exposes mistreatment of workers by sexist customers
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Working in retail can be a challenging experience, but for some, the challenges extend beyond the usual customer service issues.
Haley Webber, a female employee at Bunnings—a popular Australian hardware store—recently took to social media to expose the rampant sexism she faced on the job.
Her story shed light on the broader issue of gender bias in traditionally male-dominated industries and raised questions about how companies can better support their female employees.
Webber revealed in a video that she was 'constantly overlooked' by customers who would 'bypass' her to seek assistance from her male colleagues.
In one instance, Webber recounted how a male customer refused to let her help him retrieve a 20kg bag from a high shelf.
'He was like, “No, you are not strong enough,”' she recalled.
Despite her reassurance that she was capable, the customer continued to view her as a 'feeble woman'.
'He looked at me like I was a weak little feeble woman who wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was only 20kg it is not that heavy.'
This incident, among others, left Webber feeling disheartened and undervalued.
While Webber acknowledged that these customers were likely not acting out of malice, the constant underestimation took a toll on her mental health, sending her into a 'spiral'.
Responding to Webber's revelations, Damian Zahra, Chief People Officer at Bunnings, expressed disappointment, saying: '[We are] really disappointed to hear one of our team members has experienced disrespectful behaviour, which is something we don’t tolerate in our stores.'
'We always encourage our team to raise any concerns they may have with us about issues they’re facing at work, and we have a range of measures in place to support them.'
This issue is particularly relevant in light of recent data that revealed a gender pay gap in nearly 5000 Australian companies.
Wesfarmers, the parent company of Bunnings, reported a median gender pay gap of 3.5 per cent for total remuneration, with the gap widening to 7 per cent at the base salary level.
Jenny Bryant, Wesfarmers’ Chief Human Resources Officer, attributed the pay gap to the lower number of women in technology roles at the company.
She also highlighted the company's initiatives to increase female representation in the workplace.
This included flexible working policies and women in leadership programs.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Let us know in the comments below!
Haley Webber, a female employee at Bunnings—a popular Australian hardware store—recently took to social media to expose the rampant sexism she faced on the job.
Her story shed light on the broader issue of gender bias in traditionally male-dominated industries and raised questions about how companies can better support their female employees.
Webber revealed in a video that she was 'constantly overlooked' by customers who would 'bypass' her to seek assistance from her male colleagues.
In one instance, Webber recounted how a male customer refused to let her help him retrieve a 20kg bag from a high shelf.
An employee from Bunnings talked about sexism at her workplace. Image source: TikTok/@haley.webber.
'He was like, “No, you are not strong enough,”' she recalled.
Despite her reassurance that she was capable, the customer continued to view her as a 'feeble woman'.
'He looked at me like I was a weak little feeble woman who wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was only 20kg it is not that heavy.'
This incident, among others, left Webber feeling disheartened and undervalued.
While Webber acknowledged that these customers were likely not acting out of malice, the constant underestimation took a toll on her mental health, sending her into a 'spiral'.
Responding to Webber's revelations, Damian Zahra, Chief People Officer at Bunnings, expressed disappointment, saying: '[We are] really disappointed to hear one of our team members has experienced disrespectful behaviour, which is something we don’t tolerate in our stores.'
'We always encourage our team to raise any concerns they may have with us about issues they’re facing at work, and we have a range of measures in place to support them.'
This issue is particularly relevant in light of recent data that revealed a gender pay gap in nearly 5000 Australian companies.
Wesfarmers, the parent company of Bunnings, reported a median gender pay gap of 3.5 per cent for total remuneration, with the gap widening to 7 per cent at the base salary level.
Jenny Bryant, Wesfarmers’ Chief Human Resources Officer, attributed the pay gap to the lower number of women in technology roles at the company.
She also highlighted the company's initiatives to increase female representation in the workplace.
This included flexible working policies and women in leadership programs.
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