Former Panda Express Worker Says She Was Pressured To Strip Down To Underwear As Part Of ‘Trust-Building’ Exercise

A former Panda Express employee says she was pressured to undress in front of her co-workers as part of a “trust-building” exercise.

Last month, 23-year-old Jennifer Spargifiore filed a civil suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Panda Express and Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy for allegedly conducting inappropriate activities for workers to participate in under the false narrative that employees were learning team-building skills. Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy is a self-improvement consulting outfit that led the exercise, NBC News reports.

The Panda Express location Spargifiore primarily worked for was located in the northern L.A. County suburb of Santa Clarita. Spargifiore was employed there from Aug. 10, 2016, to July 15, 2019. Spargifiore said the seminars were usually “a prerequisite to promotion” and that those who participated were required to provide their work I.D. numbers so seminar fees “could be debited directly from their Panda Express employee accounts.”

The complaint states that the seminars would last nearly all day, adding that they were “bizarre and quickly devolved into psychological abuse.” During one session on July 13, 2019 she states she was pressured into an “‘exercise’ wherein she was forced to strip down to her underwear under the guise of ‘trust-building.'”

She “stripped almost naked in front of strangers and co-workers–was extremely uncomfortable but pressed on because she knew it was her only chance at a promotion,” the lawsuit said. “Meanwhile, Alive Seminars staff were openly ogling the women in their state of undress, smiling, and laughing.”

Spargifiore said a male participant ended up stripping down to his underwear later on in the exercise, and the two were forced to stand in front of the group and “hug it out.” “The seminar more and more resembled a cult initiation ritual as time went on,” the lawsuit said. Spargifiore reportedly left the seminar early, and she “was constructively terminated from her position with Panda Express in July 2019,” according to the suit. She claims she was a victim of sexual battery, a hostile work environment and infliction of emotional distress.

Panda Express’s mother company Panda Restaurant Group said it would be looking into the matter in a statement. “We do not condone the kind of behavior described in the lawsuit, and it is deeply concerning to us. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all associates and stand behind our core values to treat each person with respect,” reads the statement that was sent on Wednesday. “Panda Restaurant Group has not and does not mandate that any associate participate in Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy, nor is it a requirement to earn promotions,” the company said.

Spargifiore has not named a number of damages or demands in the suit.