Mumbai, June 6: Two employees were fired by Lululemon's CEO, Calvin McDonald, for chasing off burglars, who has now defended his decision. He denied the assertion that the employees' dismissal was a result of their filing a police report about the incident.

He stated, "We have a zero-tolerance policy around engaging during a theft that we train our educators on," when speaking to CNBC during a broadcast. Store employees at Lululemon are referred to as ‘educators’. United Furniture Layoffs: Owner David Belford, Who Abruptly Fired 2,700 Employees in Single Night, Calls Move ‘Agonising’. 

We prioritise the security of both our team members and our visitors. At the end of the day, it's just product; they're instructed to take a back seat, let the theft happen, and know that there are technologies and cameras in place and that we're collaborating with police authorities, he added.

A post-investigation and the well-known zero-tolerance policy, which was used in this case due to the instructors' deliberately breaking the rules and engaging with the thieves at several times, even after they left the business, led to their firing, McDonald Said.

They are taught to back up. We take that policy seriously because, as we've seen in other shops, there have been cases when workers have stepped in and either been injured or, worst, killed. It's for their safety, he added.

Two female employees were let go last month for being involved in a theft incident, one of whom was an assistant manager at the popular sportswear company Lululemon. Masked burglars were seen on surveillance footage stealing goods from displays close to the front of the store at an Atlanta Lululemon store. Elon Musk Fired Twitter Employees Over Their Pronouns? Instagram Post Carrying Screenshot of Satirical Article Goes Viral, Here’s the Truth. 

The decision, however, caused a furor online from those who felt the employees were treated unfairly and that they merited better treatment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2023 04:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).