Is AirAsia a toxic workplace?

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Hi readers,

Recently, I saw a tweet that talked about how Gen Z could be the ones to end the five-day work week. According to the tweet, not only does Gen Z tend to prioritize work-life balance and personal well-being, but this generation is also used to creating change and making an impact.

To all our Gen Z readers, this millennial salutes you. You have my support to go ahead and bring forth this change. 😂 And on a related note, here’s a question for you: Would you want to work in AirAsia after reading our story?

Because we’re looking at:

• AirAsia’s work culture, which is both divisive and progressive
• The road to Bukalapak’s blockbuster listing
• Other newsy highlights such as the impending closure of Razer Pay and Amazon’s legal victory over Reliance in India

PREMIUM SUMMARY

A look inside AirAsia’s work culture

AirAsia came under fire last month after a leaked video of its virtual town hall went viral on social media. In it, the budget airline’s Thailand CEO was seen talking down to a female employee. Other senior executives present, including group CEO Tony Fernandes, laughed and joked along. While AirAsia has apologized for this incident, this raised the question: Is this an isolated incident or is this what working at AirAsia is actually like?

• ”It wasn’t one-off behavior”: Several current and ex-employees of AirAsia say that meetings with Fernandes are often laden with sexual innuendoes, including “whether someone had good sex in a week, or if someone in the office would like to have sex with someone else.”. Joking about women’s bodies and their looks is also common, and it often “happened in front of the woman.” Using curse words is also typical and “happens all the time.”
• On the flipside: But employees also credit Fernandes for being progressive and giving opportunities to staff regardless of race or gender. For instance, AirAsia was the first ASEAN airline to hire a female commercial pilot. There are also stories of how cabin crew, baggage handlers, and ground staff went on to become pilots or work in product department.
• Fear of reprisal: While AirAsia is said to have a largely flat structure and a “very open” communication environment, some employees are afraid to speak out for fear of retribution. A former AirAsia India pilot who publicly talked about the airlines’ questionable safety protocols was suspended, later sacked, and then sued over his allegations.

The full story: Is AirAsia a toxic workplace? Current and ex-employees tell us

PREMIUM SUMMARY

The company behind Indonesia’s biggest initial public offering

Bukalapak had a blast last Friday: The Indonesian ecommerce unicorn debuted on the local stock exchange, and its shares jumped by nearly 25%. The rise boosted the company’s valuation to an estimated 109 trillion rupiah (around US$7.5 billion). Despite being smaller than its rivals such as Tokopedia, how did Bukalapak get to where it is today?