Netflix execs are not willing to talk about the Dave Chappelle controversy with prospective hires. This issue has prompted the company to put together a proposed script documenting what recruiters should say if anyone brings up “The Closer” during an interview. A leaked memo has more details.
The controversy has to do with Chappelle’s comedy special, which received a lot of negative attention for jokes the comedian made about the transgender community. When Netflix refused to pull the special from its platform, some employees staged a walkout in protest.
The leaked memo gives detailed instruction on how recruiters should handle questions about “The Closer” and the resulting backlash. The document makes clear that interviewers should use their “best judgment” and don’t necessarily need to repeat the phrasing verbatim.
“Find a way to respectfully end and move on from the topic if you’re pressed further on the topic in areas not covered in the talking points,” the memo says, according to The Verge.
In a section called “The Closer and employees,” Netflix instructs recruiters to say, “We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chose to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”
In the wake of the controversy, at least two trans identifying engineers resigned from Netflix. A third trans employee, B. Pagels-Minor, was fired for allegedly sharing confidential financial information.
But Pagels-Minor filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that Netflix retaliated against workers to keep them from speaking up about working conditions, including “Netflix’s products and the impact of its product choices on the LGBTQ+ community,” Fox News reported.
The leaked memo referenced the incident with the fired employee as well. Apparently, recruiters were instructed to say, “We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company. We understand they may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.”
The text of the full memo was posted on The Verge. It said:
Pointers:
- Discuss these points in response to candidate inquiries. Use your best judgment here. This isn’t intended to be a script, but points you can pull from if you’re asked.
- Avoid commenting directly on The Closer, since Netflix is not commenting publicly about it.
- Find a way to respectfully end and move on from the topic if you’re pressed further on the topic in areas not covered in the talking points.
Talking Points:
The Closer and Employees
- I can’t comment on The Closer
- We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused.
- On employee termination: We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company. We understand they may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.
- If needed: this employee was the only person to access this specific information and admitted to sharing confidential information externally.
- On October 20th Walk Out: Again, we value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chose to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.
- If needed: CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the situation on 10/19/21 in a series of interviews
Netflix and Inclusion
- As a company, we are committed to inclusion. We are working hard to ensure more people see their lives reflected on screen and that underrepresented communities are not defined by a single story.
- We are working to increase representation for all groups that have been marginalized by the entertainment industry.