YIKES

Video Showing Execs Rapping Removed After John Hancock Employees Complain

The company called the video a “lighthearted” attempt to “reinforce the approachability” of senior management.

Employees complained after insurer John Hancock’s parent company, Manulife Financial, released a video in which members of its top management rapped while wearing hoodies and dark sunglasses. Manulife posted the video on Dec. 12 to congratulate employees on their performance in 2019, in a “lighthearted” attempt to “reinforce the approachability” of senior management, the company said in a statement Monday to the Boston Globe. The Globe reports that many John Hancock employees complained in the company’s internal chat network that the video was misguided and racist. Manulife CEO Roy Gori responded to employees after the video was posted in an email, writing that some employees appreciated management’s attempt to “poke fun at ourselves... at the same time, colleagues have shared that they found the video upsetting. On behalf of the leadership team, please know it was not our intention to offend anyone. We deeply regret this and apologize to those who were offended.” The Globe reports Gori flew to John Hancock’s headquarters the following week to host an employee forum to discuss diversity and inclusion practices, according to Hancock officials.