In a candid post shared on LinkedIn, a former employee at Apple Bengaluru, has disclosed his resignation from the tech giant, citing allegations of Islamophobia and mental harassment. Khalid Parvez, who spent 11 years with Apple, expressed his disappointment with the company’s handling of his grievances.
Parvez alleged that he raised concerns with Apple’s Human Resources (HR) department regarding various serious issues, including alleged mental harassment, alleged abusive language, alleged potential business misconduct, alleged Islamophobic comments, and alleged managerial errors that allegedly resulted in him and his family living out of suitcases for four months. He emphasized the adverse impact these events had on their mental health.
Anticipating empathy and measures to prevent similar incidents, Parvez hoped for a thorough investigation upon bringing the matter to HR’s attention. However, after a purported two-month inquiry, the employee relations (ER) team allegedly responded with denial, insensitivity, and counter-accusations, even ridiculing Parvez’s mental health and family issues.
To his surprise, the ER executive’s approach seemed more inclined towards safeguarding the company’s and management’s interests rather than addressing the concerns raised by the employee. Parvez claimed that his mental health was belittled, with the ER stating that Apple was not qualified to acknowledge that his mental health issues were a consequence of his employment. When he expressed concern about the potential deterioration of his mental health, the ER insisted on a doctor’s certificate to assess his fitness to work.
Regarding the Islamophobic comments he experienced, Parvez alleged that the ER dismissed his statements, asserting that they lacked substantiation from other employees. This revelation led him to believe that no genuine investigation had taken place and that the entire process amounted to a corporate cover-up.
Faced with a difficult decision between fighting against these alleged injustices or prioritizing a family emergency, Parvez chose to resign promptly, recognizing his family’s immediate needs. In his post, he urged fellow Apple colleagues and corporate victims to speak up against discrimination, misconduct, abuse, or bullying. Parvez advised individuals not to blindly trust the system, especially at the local level, and instead encouraged them to escalate their concerns beyond regional or national teams. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of documenting incidents.
Parvez’s public revelation coincides with the emergence of the hashtag #AppleToo, which aims to shed light on workplace mistreatment and foster accountability within the organisation.
Apple has not released an official statement in response to Parvez’s allegations at this time.
