Ex-Wework CEO Adam Neumann accused of pregnancy discrimination
Ousted Wework chief executive Adam Neumann has been accused of discrimination by his former chief of staff, who has said she was belittled at the company for getting pregnant and then ultimately fired when she raised concerns.
Read more: Wework could be worth ‘zero,’ says Bill Ackman
Medina Bardhi alleged in a filing to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that she first fell victim to discrimination after telling Neumann she was pregnant with her first child in 2016.
She said she initially hesitated about telling the then-Wework chief about her pregnancy, but did so because he had a habit of smoking cannabis on chartered flights.
The accusations came just over a month after Neumann stepped down from his position as chief of Wework, the global co-working space firm, amid concerns over his grip on the company and his behaviour.
Bardhi’s complaint was filed on behalf of a proposed class of other female employees. It alleged that female staff at Wework were demeaned for taking maternity leave, were subject to offensive sexual conduct and paid less than male colleagues.
The complaint said Jennifer Berrent, who was then Wework’s chief legal officer, referred to Bardhi’s first pregnancy as a “problem” that needed to be “fixed”.
Neumann called Bardhi’s maternity leave a “vacation,” the filing said. A man was then hired at twice her pay during her leave, the complaint said, and once she returned she was not given her old job back for months.
Bardhi’s complaint said she was subjected to the same treatment when she became pregnant with her second child in 2018.
Read more: Wework plans to axe 4,000 jobs
The filing said that when Bardhi was sacked on 2 October, just after Neumann stepped down, she was told her role had been eliminated.
Wework could not be reached by Reuters for comment.
(Image credit: Getty)