Is AirAsia a toxic workplace? Current and ex-employees tell us

Nikita Puri co-reported this story.

Few corporate leaders have been as divisive – or as much of a contradiction – as AirAsia Group’s CEO, Tony Fernandes.

Though a recent AirAsia town hall drew scathing criticism from the public for condoning apparent sexism and unprofessionalism, as well as the unwarranted humiliation of an employee by high-ranking executives, staunch loyalists of the Malaysia-based airline – and Fernandes himself – have been quick to defend the incident.

For many of the over 500 AirAsia employees in attendance, the public display of such behavior from the conglomerate’s leaders was shocking to witness.

The incident at the company, highly regarded by many employees as being both progressive and inclusive, was especially disconcerting given the countless opportunities it has afforded to staff members, regardless of their gender or race.

But this sort of conduct is considered run-of-the-mill for Fernandes and senior management staff within his inner circle, according to nine current and former AirAsia employees familiar with Fernandes and the company whom Tech in Asia interviewed. The sources have requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

“What you saw that day [in the town hall] – about bringing a girl to [AirAsia’s head of ecommerce] Ben Jie – that happens all the time. It wasn’t one-off behavior,” says a former staff member who spoke to Tech in Asia. In meetings, Fernandes “would say ‘Hey, have you had sex with her? No wonder you’re not thinking straight today’ – and these weren’t one-off statements,” the source adds.

The casual F-word that AirAsia Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld – a long-time friend of Fernandes – directed at an AirAsia employee wasn’t an isolated incident either.

The use of expletives “happens all the time” within the company, says a former employee, who admits to having used such language as well. “Curse words are not that big of a deal… But when you use it against people, then it becomes a bit of a problem.”

Adina Zainin, who is the group head of communications at AirAsia, tells Tech in Asia in an email response that the company’s work culture is characterized by “a diverse workforce and policies that ensure fair treatment of all employees regardless of age, race, religion, orientation, and others.”

The viral video of the town hall meeting has drawn mixed reactions from inside the company. For many, the incident has left a bad taste in their mouth.

“The prevailing sentiment in my network is disappointment since there has been so much emphasis on fairness and inclusiveness,” says one senior manager, mentioning a recent “progressive” internal company survey on LGBT acceptance at the workplace.

Another employee expressed genuine surprise at the episode and said it should never have happened. “In all of my time being here, I have never seen an incident like this, so it’s not the norm,” says the employee, who has worked at the company for just over a year.

The “cult” of Tony

The “flower pots”

Fear of reprisal

“Not the worst I’ve seen”