Lawsuit claims underperforming Comcast workers subjected to abusive ritual

A Comcast manager allegedly abused underperforming workers by smashing pies in their faces, a lawsuit claims, recording the assaults in camera and ordering other employees to participate in the abuse. If it's not quite so unhinged as Ebay sending a pig fetus and sexually explicit materials to critics, it's certainly not normal.

Ars Technica's Jon Brodkin reports on a policy that seems unlikely to either improve morale or "meet goals related to sales and positive responses in customer surveys."

Figueroa resigned on February 27, and he alleges it was a constructive discharge. The lawsuit says the defendant, Comcast, was negligent because it "reasonably should have known" about the store management's policies and that the policies could harm employees. Comcast "failed to properly supervise the Comcast Store's management team," allowing store management to humiliate employees "for the purpose of promoting the Defendant's revenues and profits," the lawsuit alleged.

The lawsuit [PDF] claims constructive discharge and was filed in Connecticut Superior Court.

Specifically, for the entire time Plaintiff was employed by the Defendant, Defendant had a policy that the highest-ranked Retail Sales Consultant for the prior month was instructed by his or her supervisor Ms. Peterson, the Comcast Store manager—to tie the lowest-ranked sales consultant for the prior month to a chair in the back office and thereafter assault that person by violently smashing a cream pie in their face. Ms. Peterson maintained a publicly-posted chart in the Comcast Store's back office which (i) ranked the Store's sales staff and (ii) identified the employees who either had been recently assaulted or were scheduled to be assaulted in this way.

Comcast can't comment on specific allegations other than to say it disagrees with them.

"The Company has zero tolerance for harassment, humiliation, or any behavior that compromises a respectful and safe workplace," Comcast said in the statement provided to Ars. "This matter is in litigation so we will not comment on the specific allegations, other than to say that we disagree with the claims in the complaint and its characterization of the alleged events, and intend to fully respond through the legal process."