The popular food delivery service Grubhub made headlines this morning when an email from Grubhub's CEO Matt Maloney about Trump went viral — most notably because after his denouncement of President-elect Donald Trump, the email read, "If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here." Bustle reached out to Grubhub regarding the email, and a representative has clarified, "At Grubhub, we welcome and accept employees with all political beliefs, no matter who they voted for in this or any election. We do not discriminate on the basis of someone's principles, or otherwise. The message was intended to advocate for inclusion and tolerance — regardless of political affiliation — during this time of transition for our country."
Grubhub has also released a statement from CEO Matt Maloney, clarifying, "Some of the statements in my email (please see full text below) have been misconstrued. I want to clarify that I did not ask for anyone to resign if they voted for Trump. I would never make such a demand. To the contrary, the message of the email is that we do not tolerate discriminatory activity or hateful commentary in the workplace, and that we will stand up for our employees. Grubhub welcomes and accepts employees with all political beliefs, no matter who they voted for in this or any election. We do not discriminate on the basis of someone's principles, or political or other beliefs." (See Maloney's full statement here.)
This has undoubtedly been a polarizing and — let's face it — straight up insane election cycle, which inevitably followed through to its insane conclusion: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but thanks to the Electoral College, we now have a racist, xenophobic, misogynist, homophobic orange Twinkie with no political experience poised to lead America (alas, this is the author's opinions, not a reflection of Grubhub's). Since Nov. 8, there has been an indisputable rise in hate crimes — already Trump's election seems to have ushered in national intolerance as blatant as his, which is an incredibly dangerous thing for a country already known for its racial prejudice and insensitivity.
That being said, some on the internet were quick to point out that Grubhub's email implied a little too heavily that their workers' employment was dependent on their political beliefs. Here's the full text of the email:
SUBJECT: So... that happened... what's next?
I'm still trying to reconcile my own worldview with the overwhelming message that was delivered last night. Clearly there are a lot of people angry and scared as the antithesis of every modern presidential candidate won and will be our next president.
While demeaning, insulting and ridiculing minorities, immigrants and the physically/mentally disabled worked for Mr. Trump, I want to be clear that this behavior - and these views, have no place at Grubhub. Had he worked here, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.
We have worked for years cultivating a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating - including all genders, races, ethnicities and sexual, cultural or ideological preferences. We are better, faster and stronger together.
Further I absolutely reject the nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump and will work to shield our community from this movement as best as I can. As we all try to understand what this vote means to us, I want to affirm to anyone on our team that is scared or feels personally exposed, that I and everyone else here at Grubhub will fight for your dignity and your right to make a better life for yourself and your family here in the United States.
If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here. We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team. I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what's right is worth it.
Stay strong, Matt
While it's comforting to know we're not alone in these thoughts in the wake of some astounding lack of human decency in the past week, let this be a reminder to us all: we can't dictate what other people say or believe (as much as we'd like to), especially in the workplace — The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 specifically protects against political discrimination at work. All we can do is continue to protest peacefully and find ways to advocate for the marginalized communities put at risk by Trump's presidency, and prevent an election like this from happening ever again.
Images: Pexels
