'Bullied' EE staff in the West Midlands claim they were 'forced to bark like dogs and do squats on Zoom calls as punishment for poor performance'
Junior staff at mobile network EE claimed they were forced to bark like dogs and do squats on Zoom as a 'demeaning' punishment for poor performance.
Employees in the West Midlands say they were left humiliated at virtual meetings where the worst-ranked branches, all operated by a franchise partner, would be singled out.
Ali Moosa, branch chair of the Communications and Workers Union who was contacted by some of those affected, said he was horrified by what they told him.
He told MailOnline: 'Individuals were really scared, they didn't even want their names mentioned.
'It was no joke, especially for the female members - doing squats in front of blokes is embarrassing.'
He added: 'I'm an experienced union rep and I've been shocked that this has happened at such a big company like EE.'
Junior staff at mobile network EE (file photo of store) claimed they were forced to bark like dogs and do squats on Zoom as a 'demeaning' punishment for poor performance
Mr Moosa said the CWU is helping staff through a 'grievance process' against the company via the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service .
Squatting and barking in the style of Who Let The Dogs Out as a forfeit supposedly started at stores run by the Commture 365 franchise that re-opened after lockdown in June.
Mr Moosa said that at region-wide meetings, held at 8.30am ahead of opening time, staff would congregate on the shop floor and appear live on camera with other branches.
A recording of one such meeting, seen by the Morning Star, reportedly shows an employee apologising to a senior manager about their store's performance.
The manager is said to have replied: 'You don't need to be sorry, what you need to be doing is squatting, my love.'
MailOnline understands EE is now considering parting ways with Commture 365, which operated 14 EE stores (file photo)
One female employee said: 'It's completely dehumanising. There's absolutely no need for managers to put us through this treatment. It's sexist and it demeans our hard work.'
Mr Moosa told said that one outraged staff member has already resigned, and that he hopes the grievance proccess leads to reprimands of the senior staff.
MailOnline understands EE is now considering parting ways with Commture 365, which operated 14 EE stores.
An EE spokesperson said: 'Commture 365, the franchise partner responsible for this team member (who the allegations are against), is currently investigating the allegations and we have requested an urgent resolution to this on-going grievance process.
'While our franchise partners are independent businesses, we expect them to operate with the high standards that we expect of our own stores, and to match the respectful and inclusive work culture we demand at EE.'