Disgruntled Netflix employees have reportedly received a Netflix culture memo from the streaming giant explaining that the company values the “artistic expression” of its content creators more than the individual beliefs and lifestyles of its employees, in light of recent internal strife sparked by shows like Dave Chappelle‘s contentious stand-up special.
If you’re not a fan, you can simply “Flix off.”
According to the “Netflix Culture — Seeking Excellence” memo, “As employees, we support the principle that Netflix offers a diversity of stories, even if we find some titles counter to our own personal values.”
Titles that you believe to be harmful may necessitate your attention, according to a statement from the organization. In other words, “Netflix may not be the best place for you if you find it difficult to support our content breadth.”
Since Chappelle’s “The Closer” premiered on Netflix in October, there have been numerous protests from staff members about his remarks about transgender people. “Gender is a fact” and the LGBTQ+ community is “too sensitive” were just some of the jokes made by 48-year-old comedian Chappelle during his hour-long chuckle fest.
Angry Netflix employees staged a walkout soon after the show’s premiere to express their displeasure with the comedian’s slurs.
Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix, was unmoved by the mutiny and continued to air the special. Letters recently sent out by the company emphasized its commitment to valuing artistic expression, warning any remaining disgruntled cogs.
It’s a great opportunity and a great challenge to entertain people around the world said the lengthy proclamation in its entirety. Our selection of TV shows and movies includes a wide range of content, some of which may be provocative.
In order to help our members make informed decisions about what to watch, we offer ratings, content warnings, and simple parental controls,” it stated.
Even though Netflix acknowledged that some of its content may be offensive to some viewers, the streaming service has vowed to continue supporting its artists. There is a good chance that not everyone will find our service enjoyable or agreeable.
Every title is different, but we approach them with the same principles: we support the artistic expression of the creators we work with; we program for a wide range of audiences and tastes; and we let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, rather than having Netflix muzzle specific artists or voices,” it stressed.
According to the “Valued Behaviors” section of Netflix’s 2022 plan, employees are urged to “spend our members’ money wisely” in light of the company’s recent losses of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022.
There is no intention to treat workers as “family” members, but rather like lionhearted sportsmen on an award-winning athletic “dream team”—one on which any player can be benched or booted at will.
Instead of a family, we strive to be like the best professional sports teams. “Unconditional love is at the heart of a family. To be part of a dream team, you must push yourself to be the best teammate you can be while also caring deeply about your teammates. You must also be aware that you may not be on the team for long.”
“Dream teams aren’t right for everyone,” the bulletin stated.
After summarizing what makes Netflix a “special” place to work, the company concluded its advisory by emphasizing its mission to “encourage decision-making by employees, share information openly, broadly and deliberately, communicate candidly and directly” and “keep only our highly effective people”“