A Credit Karma employee ripped the company’s return-to-office plan this week, declaring “no one’s safe” after a deadly shooting occurred near its headquarters in Oakland, Calif.
The employee aired out their concerns on the anonymous corporate message board Blind, which verifies the identities of its members. The worker argued the company was more concerned about forcing its workers back into the office than it was about their safety.
“First, they moved the office to a dangerous neighborhood where many women don’t feel safe, especially when we’re going home at night and it’s dark outside,” the employee wrote. “Then, they forced us to Return to the Office and made us choose between risking our jobs or risking our lives.”
“Now, we’re dealing with more Violent Crime in Oakland than ever before,” the employee added.
Credit Karma employees have resisted a return-to-office push.Bloomberg via Getty Images
Credit Karma is headquartered at 1100 Broadway in downtown Oakland — a few blocks from Oakland City Hall. The shooting occurred at about 2:15 p.m. local time near 14th Street and Broadway, blocks from the company’s office.
One person was killed in the shooting, while a second individual was shot in the chest and wounded, the Mercury News reported. The shooting was one of four homicides that occurred in Oakland in less than 24 hours, according to a local media report.
“No one’s safe anymore, and Credit Karma certainly can’t protect us from the DANGER THEY PUT US IN JUST TO PUSH THERE RTO AGENDA!!” the Credit Karma employee said.
“It’s fine and dandy that they have building security, but how are they supposed to keep us safe when we’re going in and out of the office? Are they going to escort all 1,700 employees every morning and every night?” the employee added.
Oakland has seen a string of deadly shootings this week.MediaNews Group via Getty Images
When reached for comment, a Credit Karma spokesperson said the company does “not give credence to anonymous posts on Blind, where we cannot confirm those posting are even our employees.”
“During this recent incident, we again prioritized the safety of our Oakland employees,” the Credit Karma spokesperson added. “We immediately contacted the Oakland Police Department and had physical security in the lobby to escort employees outside if they felt unsafe.”
“Sadly, random acts of violence are occurring everywhere: schools, communities and cities but we hope our work in helping people make financial progress can be one part of a solution,” the spokesperson added.
The Credit Karma spokesperson said the company has utilized a “flexible model” for its return-to-work policy since February and noted its “attrition is at an all-time low.”
“At the end of the day, we are an at-will employer without non-competes and any employees who want to work permanently from home are free to work elsewhere,” the spokesperson added.
One person was killed in the shooting near Oakland City Hall.MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Credit Karma has met with ongoing resistance from workers since it first required employees to return to the office in February. The current system mandated that employees appear on-site for at least some days, with teams instructed to develop their own schedules.
In a May interview with WorkLife, Credit Karma chief people officer Colleen McCreary said the company did not set a specific number of required days per week. The company tried to lure workers back with events such as “Thursday On The Terrace.”
With attendance spotty, Credit Karma was one of countless companies that pushed its workers to return after the Labor Day holiday weekend, the New York Times reported.
“I don’t like to take attendance or baby-sit, but managers should know where their people are,” McCreary told the outlet.
The company’s workers have argued for months that they are more productive at home, have more time for their personal lives without the daily drudgery of a commute and see rival tech firms giving their employees more freedom.
For some workers, security has become an additional concern.
The anonymous poster on Blind wrote that building security “didn’t even know what was going on” when this week’s shooting occurred.
“This shooting happened in broad daylight right outside our building at a time when many of us going out for lunch. How are we ever supposed to feel safe again eating at work?” the worker wrote.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2022/09/22/credit-karma-employee-rips-rto-policy-after-shooting-near-office/