Harvey Norman cops heated backlash for ‘revolting’ tweet

Aussie department store Harvey Norman has been slammed on social media for a response on its official Twitter account to a purported former employee who claimed working for the company made them “suicidal”.

The backlash began on Friday when an anonymous account run by a person who claimed they once worked for the chain Tweeted at the company, accusing it of blocking people for talking about wage strikes taking place against the company.

“Working for your god forsaken company drove me to suicide in 6 months,” they wrote.

“To the 50 people paid $200k a year to manage one account — go f*** yourselves.”

The strange exchange drew heavy criticism online. Source: Twitter

In response, the @HarveyNormanAU account Tweeted two emojis — a face palm and a waving hand.

Other users were quick to hit out at the company and encouraged each other not to shop at the chain.

“I made the decision to never step into one of their stores last year,” one man said.

“This is the most revolting, irresponsible response to a tweet containing sensitive health information I’ve seen from a corporate entity,” a woman wrote, saying she will never spend another cent there.

“Congrats Harvey Norman, you have lost me, my friends and family as customers,” another man said.

Harvey Norman has been the subject of scrutiny in recent months after it was revealed it would not return $14.5 million in JobKeeper funds. Source: Getty

However, questions have been raised about whether or not the company is behind the Twitter account, or if it has been hacked.

The day prior to the “out of line” response, the same Twitter handle posted: “Twitter is no longer a customer service channel and is unmanned.”

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Harvey Norman for comment.

Harvey Norman has been the subject of scrutiny in recent months after its billionaire founder Gerry Harvey revealed it would not return $14.5 million in taxpayer-paid JobKeeper funds despite company profits increasing by 116 per cent during the pandemic.

Story continues

Mr Harvey – one of the country’s richest men – has also strongly opposed wage rises. 

On Friday frustrated employees armed with signs protested in front of stores in Queensland, NSW and Tasmania, demanding wage increases.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions said in a press release that 2.2 million workers are in need of a pay rise and are calling for a 3.5 per cent increase.

On Friday frustrated employees armed with signs protested in front of stores in Queensland, NSW and Tasmania. Source: AAP

”Harvey Norman saw the global pandemic as an ‘opportunity’, doubled its profits, benefited from a delay in the last increase in wages and then refused to pay back JobKeeper,” ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said.

“It’s now time for Harvey Norman to step up and support a 69 cent an hour pay rise. Prime Minister Morrison must also stop supporting big business’ calls for real wage cuts – what the economy needs now is people with money to spend.

“For many workers, a 3.5 per cent increase would make a significant difference after nearly a decade of low wage growth.”

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.