A popular snack brand said that it does not condone discriminatory hiring after a job posting of one of its soon-to-open branches in a shopping mall went viral over the weekend.
Potato Corner on Monday, August 21 addressed concerns about a job posting by a yet-to-be-operational branch at Ventura Mall in Dasmariñas, Cavite that earned social media’s attention for its service crew qualifications.
The job posting sought staff who fit the now-deleted job criteria:
- 18 to 30 years old
- At least high school graduate
- Knowledgeable to basic mathematical computations
- Preferably female
- Have a good visual impact and pleasing personality
- Weight must be proportional to height
- Have clear complexion, eyesight and good set of teeth
- Know how to communicate in Filipino and English
- Definitely love dealing with all types of people.
Some of its qualifications led others to think that the branch appeared to be looking for someone who would join a beauty pageant due to its appearance-based criteria.
RELATED: ‘Looking for Miss U’: Potato Corner addresses viral job posting
In a message to Philstar.com, the management said on Monday that it “deeply regrets the oversight” and stressed that it is “committed to fostering an inclusive environment” in response to the viral job posting.
“We are addressing this recent incident involving a well-meaning but insensitive job posting. The Potato Corner branch in Ventura Mall is not yet operational but will open soon,” it added.
“At Potato Corner, we firmly believe in the value of diversity and inclusion, true to what the brand provides to our cherished guests and valued business partners. We do not support or condone discriminatory hiring practices,” the management said.
It added that the job posting did not go through its main office.
The management reiterated its stand in a statement on a social media post released on the same day, where it said that it does not support biased hiring practices.
“Our values are all about diversity and inclusion, and true to the experience that we offer, we believe in celebrating the uniqueness that each individual brings. Discriminatory hiring is not something we support or condone, and not aligned to who we are,” it said in its post.
“We’re all about providing equal opportunities for all, and giving fair recognition and reward to effort, attitude, potential, and creating positive outcomes,” Potato Corner added.
“It may have been amusing for some, but we, in fact, are taking this seriously,” it continued.
The snack brand said that it is implementing measures to ensure that such situations would not happen again.
“We deeply regret the incident and we’re reviewing our procedures, teaming up with our valued business partners, franchisees and suppliers to make sure that situations like this won’t happen again. So that whatever we say and do at Potato Corner reflects our values,” it said.
“We remain committed to fostering an environment and society where every single person gets a fair chance to contribute and succeed,” Potato Corner added.
A look at the job description of a service crew on Potato Corner’s website lists the following qualifications:
- 18 years old (minimum)
- At least a high school graduate
- Has a pleasing personality
- Must be friendly to all types of people
- Experience in related field is an advantage
- Male or Female
According to the company, some of a service crew member’s duties include taking orders from customers, preparing food following strictest food standards, ensuring store is prepared for internal and external audit, ensuring cleanliness of work and preparation area and attending to basic customer inquiries.
Potato Corner is a global food franchise specializing in flavored fries.
The 31-year-old snack brand is one of the leading pioneers in the food cart industry, having both kiosks and counter-type businesses in malls, hospitals, bus stations and other places.
