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Former Panda Express worker sues, says she was forced to strip ‘almost naked’ at a seminar
LA Times ^ | MARCH 10, 2021 1:24 PM PT | LILA SEIDMAN

Posted on 03/10/2021 3:05:39 PM PST by BenLurkin

According to the recent lawsuit, the seminar held by Alive Seminars in 2019 “quickly devolved into psychological abuse,” with instructors yelling and belittling attendees.

Cellphone use was prohibited, there was no clock in the room, and the doors and windows were covered with black cloth during the seminar...

One activity required participants to pretend they were on a sinking ship, where only four would survive.

On July 13, the seminar’s third day, Spargifiore was made to strip down to her underwear in front of strangers and coworkers as part of what was billed as a trust-building exercise...

... taking turns yelling about “their inner struggles until everyone else in the group ‘believed’ them,”...

By that afternoon, Spargifiore had had enough and called her mother to pick her up...

Ramirez described the seminar as “really traumatic,” with people vomiting “left and right.”

“That’s the kind of thing that happened because of tremendous psychological pressure,” he added.

Panda Restaurant Group, the chain’s parent company, said in a statement it was taking the allegations “very seriously” and conducting an investigation.

The company said that it had no ownership stake in Alive Seminars and had never required employees to participate in the workshops or used them as an ultimatum for promotion.

Spargifiore is also the sole named plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against Panda Restaurant Group, filed in December 2019.

Kitty Szeto, a plaintiffs’ attorney in the class action, said the Alive seminars were required to advance in the company.

“You had to do the training and basically, if you survived it, you would be considered for a promotion,” she said.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: pandaexpress; seminar
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To: carriage_hill

The poor girl lacks your maturity. These ‘shamwow’ flim-flammers focus upon the immature.


61 posted on 03/11/2021 9:22:56 AM PST by MHGinTN (A dispensation perspective is a powerful tool for discernment)
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To: MHGinTN

It is just commonsense with me. I’d never allow that kind of crap to happen to me, or anyone else, even if it cost me my job.


62 posted on 03/11/2021 12:36:43 PM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: JBW1949

My daughter would never allow this happen, and she’d call me right away. I’d be there in a heartbeat to end it.


63 posted on 03/11/2021 12:40:32 PM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: BenLurkin

Something tells me that today a whole bunch of people would NEVER survive a ‘Crossing the Equator’ ceremony or a USN Chiefs initiation even as toned down (comparatively speaking) as they were during during my time— 50s/60s

Would probably sue if sent to look for a left handed monkey wrench, stand a mail buoy watch or fetch a gallon of relative bearing or even elbow grease and many of the other ‘things’ that were done to pass the time...

also, a snipe hunt would never happen, though I do remember ‘grunion hunting’ on the strand while at Imperial Beach CA....or submarine races.....


64 posted on 03/11/2021 12:53:41 PM PST by xrmusn (6/98 "Message to GOP "GO FUnd YOURSELF")
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To: carriage_hill

OK...Let’s forget anything about your daughter...

YOU should NOT have called that girl an idiot...


65 posted on 03/11/2021 1:41:14 PM PST by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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To: xrmusn

LOL...Becoming a “Shellback” is a ritual, for sure....


66 posted on 03/11/2021 1:45:05 PM PST by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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To: JBW1949

She was for doing what she did.
She should have known better.

End of discussion.


67 posted on 03/11/2021 2:57:27 PM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: Sir_Ed

Couldnt have been any worse than Basic Training.

Suck it up, Buttercup!!


68 posted on 03/12/2021 8:08:57 AM PST by Delta 21 (Get off your ass and earn it!)
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B-3-1 (Ft. Knox 1981) pissed off the D.I. so bad about the 3rd week he hauled us out at 2am in our skivieys with steel pots and combat boots to run a few miles of PT so we were good and hungry for breakfast.

Thank you SFC Cofelt! After his choice and astute military training I was able to do 2 one hundred count pushups on demand!


69 posted on 03/12/2021 8:12:42 AM PST by Delta 21 (Get off your ass and earn it!)
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