’Not malice’: Officeworks defends decision not to sack manager after Jewish customer denied service

Angry Aussies are demanding an Officeworks manager is fired after denying service to a Jewish customer, but the company says she is deeply remorseful.

Furious Australians are calling on customers to boycott Officeworks after a video showed a Jewish customer being denied service by an employee declaring “I’m pro-Palestine”.

The customer was attempting to have an article laminated from the Australian Jewish News at the Elsternwick store in Melbourne.

While the incident happened in March, it went public on Thursday, with the Jewish man unsatisfied with the Wesfarmers-owned office supply chain’s response to the matter.

Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter described the employee as young, inexperienced and remorseful, with the company deciding education was key.

In the video the staff member informed the customer she was the manager of the department.

The employee was given additional training, was required to visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, and relocated to a different store.

“We concluded that the incident was not due to malice but ignorance,” Ms Hunter said.

She added that the impact of the education “was profound and their remorse was deep and genuine”.

But some Aussies, including the Jewish customer, say the company did not go far enough and want the employee fired.

The staff member said she was ‘pro-Palestine’. Picture: Anti-Defamation Commission

Rowan Dean, an Australian commentator and Sky News host, said he would not set foot in an Officeworks again unless more serious action was taken.

“I will never set foot in an Officeworks store again unless the company makes a full public apology, fires that repellent staff member who refused to serve a Jewish customer and until Officeworks has donated $100k towards the families of those killed on October 7 – pls retweet this if you agree,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The post has been reshared more than 800 times and liked by more than 2000 people.

Australian presenter and commentator Sue Macsween said Officeworks had lost her as a customer.

“If Officeworks doesn’t discipline its racist staff member it deserves the impact this disgraceful incident will have on its bottom line. This is one customer who will never shop there again. A disgrace and contemptible," she wrote, attracting hundreds of likes.

Some people have even begun using the hashtag #BoycottOfficeworks.

“If they boycott customers based on religion myself and other customers have the right to boycott them,” wrote one person.

The Australian Jewish Association has also called on Officeworks to “sack her”.

The employee refused to laminate a newspaper article. Picture: Anti-Defamation Commission

‘I couldn’t believe what was happening’

The customer, appearing anonymously on ‘Sharri’ on Sky News on Thursday, claimed not firing the employee showed Officeworks was not taking the matter seriously.

“I cannot understand how that would not meet the criteria for an immediate dismissal from her role,” he said.

The man, who is now taking legal action, described being “shocked” by the ordeal at the time.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening in the moment,” he said. “I felt vilified, discriminated, and I also just felt embarrassed in front of others, the other staff members and the customers behind me.”

The Jewish customer wants the employee to be sacked. Picture: Anti-Defamation Commission

He said Jewish people had “increasingly felt unsafe in the diaspora” since October 7, when Hamas led an attack on Israel.

“I find myself asking my family, is it a matter of when we are moving to Israel but not if. This really saddens me as this is not the beautiful Australia I grew up and that we all love,” he said.

Israel has been battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the group’s October 7 attack that resulted in the deaths of 1197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 39,480 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

Officeworks Elsternwick where the incident took place. It is in the heart of a large Jewish community in Melbourne.

‘Not due to malice but ignorance’

Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter issued a more lengthy statement on Friday explaining how the company chose to handle the matter.

She said they were alerted to the incident in March and investigated the complaint within 48 hours.

“We concluded that the incident was not due to malice but ignorance,” she said. “Disciplinary measures were implemented, including a final warning, additional training and relocation to a different store, which were appropriate given the youth, inexperience and clear remorse of the team member.

“As education is of paramount importance in such a situation, the team member was also required to visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. The impact on the team member was profound and their remorse was deep and genuine.”

Ms Hunter said they are clear in the business “there is no place for discrimination, intolerance or racism”.

“Again, I express my disappointment and regret that the incident occurred as it is entirely contrary to our ways of working and our values,” she said.

“We apologised to the customer at the time, and I take this opportunity to repeat our apology to him and extend it to the broader community for the hurt and upset the incident has caused. “We will continue to work closely with our team to promote awareness, tolerance, and compassion while reiterating our expectation that the highest standards of conduct must be maintained.”