When the CEO of Indian delivery app Zomato posted a job advertisement for a chief of staff on social media, there were two big conditions attached.
The first year would be unpaid, and the person who got the job would have to pay the company 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,400) for the opportunity.
The post received severe criticism from the Indian social media and led to memes and spoofs. “Guys basically he is trying to empower those who are already empowered,” the user said pointing at Zomata CEO Deepinder Goyal.
Another said, “A job is supposed to assist you pay your bills and feed your family.” There is no way people can be expected to work without pay.”
In the post, Goyal said the fee would be donated to his NGO Feeding India, referring to the role as a “fast track learning program” that would provide “10x more learnings” than a management course.
However, in an update Thursday evening, Goyal said that the condition that one needs to pay a fee was all an act.
It “was merely a filter, to find people who had the power to appreciate the opportunity,” Goyal said. Indian economist Soumya Bhowmick said to USATodayWorld News the gimmick could have ruled out talented candidates at first glance.
“While passion for a job is desirable, the reality is that many can only ‘afford’ to indulge in such passions – much like playing golf which is an expensive pastime,” he said.
“While organizations may have the right to offer such roles, it is quite clear that such opportunities are elitist and exclusionary especially in the Global South such as India where for the majority of the population employment is often a means to earn a living.”
Unpaid internships are not banned in India but the country’s labor laws demand that employees receive a minimum wage.
However, a recent report by labor research project Fairwork revealed that out of 11 Indian gig economy apps analyzed, most of them do not have a minimum wage policy – Zomato included.
Goyal said in his updated post that the stunt would not be repeated. “That is not cool I hope that pay the company to get a job doesn’t become a norm in this world,” he said.
Goyal said that he always tried to pay more than the market rate so that money should not become a hindrance in good work. USATodayWorld News has sought to get a word from Goyal on the matter in question.
An X user commenting on this update said, “Why exactly did you need the (200,000 rupees) filter?” I am almost certain that there are many such people out there who have the right intention but money would be a major turn off. So in other words, you have excluded nearly all of India that is not as fortunate.
Goyal has been in the middle of controversy on social media before. In the early part of this year, Zomato declared its intention to launch a selection of restaurants that offer only ‘No Pork’ and ‘No Beef.’
The plan was never implemented due to controversy on the internet about the move being ‘casteist’ because many Hindus from the higher castes are vegetarians while many from the lower castes are not.
Despite being legally eliminated in 1950, the caste system that divides Hindus into different layers based on their birth remained a significant part of people’s lives.
Zomato also received criticism for a commercial from 2021 that aimed at highlighting hard work of delivery personnel but generated controversy regarding expectations placed on delivery workers to deliver food on time.
