Etam Pledges Non-Discrimination in Hiring Amid Islamophobia Claims

The brand has just promised to raise awareness among its teams to avoid any discriminatory approach in its recruitment process. However, it should be noted that hiring is not keeping. The brand can still ask hypothetical veiled employees to remove the veil. Moreover, Etam specifies that it requires its employees to respect "total neutrality in their expression as well as in their appearance".

For the moment, we can only talk about a press release published by Etam announcing the "suspension as a precautionary measure" of a store manager in Montpellier. The same one at the origin of all this controversy. As well as the company’s presentation of all its apologies to the veiled student who suffered this humiliation and discrimination, in this same press release which also emphasizes that this lingerie and clothing store is "committed to diversity and inclusion".

Furthermore, the same press release specifies the triggering of an "internal investigation process to determine the facts precisely". Etam would also have "decided to renew the awareness of its teams, through training of its store managers, on the issue of recruitment as it should take place at Etam".

The application of the veiled student will "be the subject of fair treatment". Because, according to Etam, its recruitment process "is based solely on skills and not on religious or political affiliation". And neutrality in appearance will be required of her if she is hired, in short. The brand is therefore sidestepping the real issue with a well-thought-out double game... In summary, and this is implicit: "we respect veiled women but they must uncover themselves if they want to work in our stores."