Questions arise about SKift’s workplace culture

Madeline Stone of Business Insider writes about travel industry site Skift, which some former co-workers have described as being unfriendly to female employee.

Stone writes, “Over the years, Skift grew to have more than 50 employees, and the Skift Global Forum became a must-attend event for the travel industry.

“But Skift’s culture has come under scrutiny from some employees who say the experience of working for the company didn’t live up to the hype.

“Business Insider spoke to three current and 13 former Skift employees, many of whom said there were times when women felt uncomfortable or felt mistreated in the workplace.

“They also said Ali was an unpredictable leader whose anger was often directed at women, particularly women of color. Some of these employees requested anonymity for fear of retribution from the company.

“In a lawsuit filed against Skift, Ali, and Chief Financial Officer Michael Cunniff in November 2019, the company’s former vice president of marketing alleged that she experienced gender-based harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace.

“Skift defended its culture to Business Insider.”

Read more here. Skift apologized in June for errors it recognized in hindsight. The company also told Business Insider about several changes completed since then, as well as changes that are still underway. Here are the two apologies — one here and one here.