It’s hard enough to find a job, and it’s disheartening to fill out an online job application only to hear nothing back from an employer. On that note, in a recent TikTok post, brittanyloveshorror said she was helping “her man” find work when she stumbled upon a job posting from Vasil Home Services in the Sacramento, CA area.
Brittany says she saw the job listing for the power washing, roofing, gutter, and solar panel-cleaning service on Craigslist. But when she navigated to the application, she made a shocking discovery. As Brittany shows in her post, the company asks applicants a question that might make one think that we’re still living in the 1890s. Brittany’s post received tens of thousands of views, and the company’s comments have been blasted on social media.
“We don’t hire females”
According to brittanyloveshorror’s post, Vasil Home Services has the following question on their online job application: “Do you understand we don’t hire females?” Which is illegal.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website states, “It is illegal for an employer to publish a job advertisement that shows a preference for or discourages someone from applying for a job because of his or her race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.”
Vasil hires freelance contract 1099 positions, but according to Shirazi Law Firm, located in Beverly Hills, CA, their apparent “no females” policy is still against the law.
The Shirazi website says, “Under FEHA [Fair Employment and Housing Act] independent contractors are protected from discrimination based on their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, disability, age, and other specified categories.” The firm also says that independent contractors have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Perhaps because of the TikTok post, the businesses Yelp and social media were filled with angry comments about the question. According to one Facebook comment, they called the company, and the person who answered the phone had never heard of the policy.
Vasil’s Yelp is “yelping”
In a follow-up video, brookeloveshorror says she heard back from “Vasil K” at the company, who says they don’t mean to discriminate. The job has certain “physical requirements” that he believes women can’t fulfill. They do hire women, the response says, but only for office jobs — which is still a problematic policy, as Brooke points out. In another post, Brooke says the job application is “no longer up … You guys, I think we won,” Brooke says.
Either way, the word is out on social media, and consumers are letting Vasil hear about it. In general, Yelp comments warn prospective customers that Vasil says on their job application they don’t hire women. Others accuse the company of misogyny, and a few even threaten lawsuits, although there’s no evidence any have been filed. There are positive reviews in the mix, but at least some question on Yelp whether they might be fake, possibly adding a whole new scandal for the company.
Editorial Note: We Got This Covered has reached out to Vasil Home Services to respond to the controversy, and will update this article if we hear back. We also couldn’t find a company website or job application to verify whether or not the “no females” policy still stands.
Published: Sep 12, 2024 01:26 pm