Following closely on the heels of the Debrahlee Lorenzana scandal (a.k.a., too hot to work at Citi), PwC has its own "too hot" situation.
An anonymous ex-employee has sent an open letter to the organization, calling her termination wrongful and accusing the company of covering up repeated sexual harassment that she faced. According to the note, she will be hiring an attorney.
The company has responded with a statement of its own from a spokesperson, which basically says that PwC does not condone sexual harassment and that the employee in question was terminated for poor performance.
Reaction
Commenters on accounting blog GoingConcern.com seem to be split on whether to blame the ex-employee for the treatment she alleges she received or whether to accuse her of being "spoiled" and "hysterical."
"Alum" wrote, "anyone that knows this girl knows this email is downright HYSTERICAL. she got fired bc she has a rotten attitude and the socialization skills of an ape."
One "guest" commenter wrote, "This person sounds like a spoiled, immature girl who was fired and is now looking for any excuse for why other than that fact that she was terrible at her job."
On a career-related note, "HR@hr.com" wrote: "This lawsuit will follow her the rest of her life - talk about a red flag when hiring. I understand that firms are required by law not to discriminate against people who have been in such situations, but they will find a way to keep a litigious individual from getting hired."
Sexual Harassment in Finance
Data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission analyzed by the Commission in conjunction with FINS.com has revealed that while instances of sexual harassment complaints across all industries has been flat in the past five years, instances of sexual harassment complaints among workers in finance has decreased by about half in that same time period.