Employees at the second-hand chain Arkivet have been urged to lie to customers that unsold clothes are donated to charity, but they are sold further instead. One employee describes it as taking money from charity. The company's CEO Martin Hallander takes the criticism seriously and promises to investigate the allegations of a poor work environment.
Aftonbladets investigation reveals that employees at Arkivet have been instructed to tell customers that unsold clothes are donated to Stadsmissionen, even though they are actually sold further. One employee says: “De begär ju att vi står och ljuger kunder rakt upp i ansiktet gång på gång.” Another adds: “Det är som att vi tar pengar från välgörenhet.”
The investigation also raises alarms about a poor work environment, including beauty standards that affect job tasks, such as working at the clothing intake or appearing on social media. Employees report that giving feedback to management leads to being labeled a problem person, and there is high staff turnover with dismissals without explanation.
CEO Martin Hallander responds to the criticism and says he takes the testimonies seriously: “Jag blir naturligtvis både ledsen och tycker att det är otroligt tråkigt. Om det är några individer... får det absolut inte vara.” He emphasizes that the company has grown quickly and that the HR function has not kept up: “Bolaget har vuxit fort. Allt har kanske inte hunnits med.”
Hallander denies appearance requirements for employment and says that beauty ideals are not compatible with the company's values: “Det är absolut inte acceptabelt.” A whistleblower function was recently established, and an employee survey was brought forward after the investigation. He promises to look into the claims: “Jag lovar att undersöka om det ligger något i det.”
