TikTok is investigating allegations of an aggressive work culture following reports that a senior executive said he 'didn't believe' in maternity leave. The Financial Times (FT) reported that Joshua Ma, who led the social media firm's UK ecommerce team, has stepped back from his role and been replaced.
The FT's investigation alleged a staff exodus from TikTok's London offices, citing complaints about an aggressive culture that clashes with typical British working practices. The launch of TikTok Shop, the livestream shopping feature, reportedly prompted several departures. Members of the ecommerce team said they were expected to work more than 12 hours a day.
The incident involving Mr Ma occurred at a dinner with staff earlier this year, where he allegedly said that as a 'capitalist', he 'didn't believe' companies should offer maternity leave. TikTok stated it has a clear UK maternity leave policy, including 30 weeks of paid leave. The remarks are seen as indicative of a wider culture clash between TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, and its London-based workers.
An email to staff, seen by the FT, confirmed Mr Ma would 'step back' from his role. A TikTok spokesperson said: 'We are investigating alleged statements and actions to determine whether there has been a breach of company policies.' On work-life balance, the spokesperson noted that employees 'may at times need to work hours that match customer use patterns,' but added that the company aims to make this the exception and offers flexible hours, no-meeting times, and wellbeing offerings.
