Former Crunchyroll Employee Alleges Hostility After ADA Accommodation Request

by

Summary

  • Employee faced hostility and made ADA accommodation request after depression diagnosis.
  • Manager cursed at employee in online conference, leading to termination.
  • Crunchyroll fired employee, offered silence in exchange, and faces backlash.

Shawn Hoffman, who used to work as a Senior Software Engineer at Crunchyroll, stated on LinkedIn that he faced hostility within the company following his diagnosis of depression.

In his blog post, he shared that following the diagnosis of his mother’s terminal cancer, he himself received a diagnosis of major depression and anxiety. Rather than receiving understanding or assistance, he encountered hostility when requesting accommodations under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

In the virtual meeting, the manager expressed displeasure towards him by using profane language and giving the “one-finger salute.” No additional information was provided regarding the situation.

Former Employee Claims Upper Management Knew Everything

Initially, he snapped a picture of the gesture and included it in his subsequent post. As stated in his post, he brought the matter up within the organization, and subsequently observed changes in how he was handled. It seems that no action was taken concerning his superior with regard to this incident.

He consistently expressed worries about the issue, and shortly thereafter, it’s said that Crunchyroll terminated him, citing a breach of company policy. However, he doesn’t specify which particular policy he was suspected of violating. Later, he asserts that Crunchyroll proposed a settlement to him on the condition of his silence.

I expressed worries regarding fair treatment, appropriate behavior, and regard for colleagues within the workspace. Not long after, it appears Crunchyroll chose to end my contract, stating a ‘breach of policy’.

Then they offered me severance in exchange for silence.

The manager in this photo? He remains employed.

Currently, I’m not earning an income as I take care of my 52-year-old mother, a substitute teacher, who is courageously fighting cancer. Unfortunately, the U.S. healthcare system, with its flaws, has made it difficult for her to afford necessary treatment.

Leadership knew. HR knew. Yet this is how they responded.

I’m eagerly passing on this insight not only for my personal growth, but also for the countless experts out there who find themselves in a predicament – compelled to prioritize their careers over their integrity when they voice their opinions.

So far, Crunchyroll has remained silent on the matter, and considering past instances where the company was accused of misconduct, it seems unlikely that they will choose to address this situation openly.

Crunchyroll Has Been Under Fire Recently

Over the last several months, Crunchyroll has faced some challenging times. In November, voice actor and ADR director David Wald accused the company of meddling with his mail. He hinted that he would disclose additional information on Twitch at a later point, but has yet to do so.

In the chilly month of December, I stumbled upon a startling revelation: as per Bloomberg’s findings, based on interviews with no less than 18 current and ex-employees, the workplace atmosphere has undergone a significant shift since our company was acquired by none other than Sony. Quite an exhilarating twist!

Beyond expressing their own discontent with the current state within the company, numerous Japanese corporations have expressed similar dissatisfaction towards the marketing tactics employed by the company in promoting their products. Crunchyroll responded to Bloomberg’s inquiry for comments through email, asserting that they provide everything an anime enthusiast might desire.

Read More

2025-02-10 19:07