A California snowflake and a former employer have been fired after a female employee complained that they had inappropriately touched her, the company said Thursday.
The company said it took the matter “extremely seriously” and suspended both men while it investigates.
The statement said the company “has zero tolerance for any form of sexual harassment.”
The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared retaliation, said in a written statement that she was working for the company’s ski area and working in a non-skier friendly environment.
She said the snowflake was a male ski instructor who was a friend of her parents, and the snowflakes’ actions were “unfortunate.”
“The snowflake took offense to my comments about his demeanor, and I expressed my displeasure by sharing that with the snow flake,” she said.
“We are proud of our employees for working together to create a safe workplace, and we want to assure everyone that our team members are taking this matter seriously.”
The statement also said the two men had been terminated from their jobs.
The snowflake, whose name was not released, was hired in 2010 and left in 2014, the statement said.
It did not elaborate on why he left the company.
The company said in the statement that the snowblakes’ interactions with women were “very common.”
“These behaviors and their impact on the women who worked for us are a result of the snow-flake’s bad judgment and a lack of respect for the women in our team,” the statement read.
The ski-area spokeswoman for the ski area said in an email that the two former employees were hired in 2016 and were on leave while they investigated the allegations.
“The women have been removed from their positions and will be investigated to determine their rights,” the spokeswoman said.
The Snowflake Company, which also operates a ski resort in Southern California, said it was “extremely disappointed” with the allegations and has fired the snow blake and the former employee.
It said in its statement that it has zero tolerance on any form in which a person has been subjected to sexual harassment or discrimination.
“This type of conduct will not be tolerated at Snowflake,” the company added.