AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes has received criticism for chairing a management meeting without a shirt. In a LinkedIn post, he shared a shirtless picture, and praised the low cost Malaysian airline and its work culture which enabled him to receive a massage while attending a management meeting.
In a deleted LinkedIn post, he shared, “Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting.”
“Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post that has since been deleted.
Fernandes shared that he had a stressful week at work and decided to relax with a massage at the suggestion of his colleague – AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine. The Malaysian entrepreneur’s picture shows him receiving a massage at his desk while attending the virtual meeting.
Several people disapproved of the Malaysian millionaire’s action.
“I don’t think the women in your company would feel comfortable or safe in this context, and given you’re the boss, they likely won’t challenge you or say anything. Please for their sake, listen to the comments you’ve deleted on this post. You are clearly a smart leader that cares about culture but this isn’t the way to create a supportive, safe one,” said one commenter.
“A grown man, who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company, conducts a management meeting with his shirt off as he gets a massage. Remove ‘who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company’ and it is still inappropriate,” another commenter added.