Following a message from the publishing giant’s human resources boss that sparked a reported employee backlash, the CEO of Conde Nast has issued a full condemnation of Hamas and the group’s terrorist attack on Israel over the weekend.
The original memo, obtained by the New York Post, was sent Tuesday by the company’s Chief People Officer Stan Duncan. Iy largely addressed possible mental health challenges related to the attacks, but referred to the violence in vague, noncommittal terms:
“As we witness the horrific ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza, we know many of our colleagues are suffering. Collectively we have family, friends and loved ones in all corners of the world, some directly experiencing crisis in the region. We wanted to make sure that all Condé Nast employees feel supported at this time.”
According to the Post, an unspecified number of employees were outraged by this message. Subsequently, CEO Roger Lynch sent a follow up on Wednesday.
That message, also obtained by NY Post but verified by TheWrap says, “As we have all been witness to the brutal attacks committed on Saturday, and as the reporting continues to show the magnitude of the atrocities, I want to be very clear that we as a company condemn the attack by Hamas against Israel, as well as all acts of terrorism. Our priority is to support all of our employees and we will continue to add resources in our markets to do so…we are here for you.”