Remember when Mary’s Group founders Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham whinged about young workers being entitled on their podcast and then were forced to issue an apology when everyone called them out? Well now they’ve scrubbed that apology off the face of the internet.
In the podcast episode, Smyth said ‘work-life balance’ was “one of the most dangerous terms young people have been introduced to” and complained about young workers being too precious over their mental health. Keep in mind, these guys don’t just own Mary’s burger joints across Sydney and Melbourne, but also hotels such as the Lansdowne and the Unicorn.
A few days later, the two issued a lengthy statement on their website and social media saying their comments were “were not intended at our staff, or directed at them individually or as a whole” and added that they “firmly believe that we have earned a right to speak about our very non-entitled experience within our industry.”
Not only is the apology gone now from their website, but it’s been pulled from their social media accounts, too.
“The post was taken down after we had spoken to directly to our teams and had a chance to sit with them to hear from them,” Smyth told PEDESTRIAN.TV on Thursday.
“We stand by our Statement and would have no issue with issuing it again. We did not remove due to pressure or negative comments.”
The two also told News.com.au that “keeping [the post] online was a reminder of a painful injury to our staff.”
In the weeks that followed the backlash, which started in mid-November, the two have taken time to meet with their employees across different venues to create an open dialogue, they claimed.
“These conversations have resulted in us reflecting on how we can improve the quality of conversation and culture within our company,” Smyth added.
He said that owing to their strong passion for the hospo industry, they’re committed to supporting their staff and future leaders.
“We cannot do that without honest and respectful conversation and hope to continue to build that within our teams.”
Judging from the removal of the apology, it seems like the boys are keen to move on from the hate, at least publicly.
If you’re content to listen to these two blokes talk about the state of the hospo industry for an hour, you can listen to the full podcast here and decide for yourself.
