The owners of Stella’s Café have made a public apology nearly a month after allegations of a toxic work environment surfaced online.
“We felt we also needed to apologize personally to anyone adversely affected by any wrongful action of a Stella’s manager, employee or customer. We are deeply sorry,” said Tore Sohlberg, Stella's co-owner.
The video, posted on Instagram, features Sohlberg, who says he was devastated to learn of the allegations and is taking concrete steps to set things right.
“The bottom line is we didn’t do enough to guide our managers or protect and support our staff, and we take full responsibility for that,” said Sohlberg.
Following the allegations, owners and managers received specialized respectful workplace training, and employees will receive the same.
A review is underway by an outside human resources company, and a confidential email and phone number has been set up for staff to report problems.
