The sonning electric appliance and appliance manufacturer, Sonning Appliances, has fired its CEO over a “unprofessional” Facebook post.
In it, CEO David Schaller says he “misspoke” about a company event in the past.
He’s now apologizing for the remarks, saying “I regret that it hurt people’s feelings and that it was not in the best interest of the company to be public.”
The company announced the firing Tuesday, saying it was in response to a series of internal complaints.
“We took this opportunity to make the decision to terminate our CEO and to ensure that the company’s core values of honesty, integrity and transparency are upheld,” the company said in a statement.
“The company is deeply disappointed with the way this issue was handled by the people of Sonning and the Sonning team.”
Schallers post drew a lot of criticism, especially in Sonning’s home state of Pennsylvania.
Many users complained that he had been dismissive of the industry, saying the company has a lot to lose financially.
Sonning had to pay a $3.8 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by an elderly woman who accused the company of sexual harassment.
The company said the lawsuit was “without merit.”
But critics say that while Schallerman may have been trying to be a nice guy, he was in effect telling his employees what they want to hear.
“I’m not saying this was intentional, but I think he may have thought it was a good idea to make people angry,” said Matt O’Connell, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania chapter of Americans for Financial Reform, which advocates for smaller government and smaller government-related regulations.
“And they were probably more upset that it wasn’t about the money.”
Schalings resignation came after he was asked to resign from his position at the company, according to a statement from the company.
Sonners CEO David Shallelle, who was also a co-founder of the Sonners and Sonning appliance companies, said in an email to employees that he “made a mistake and I sincerely apologize for my actions.”
He added that he was proud of the work he and his team have done and that he looks forward to returning to the company in the future.
“At Sonning we have built a reputation for honesty, fairness and transparency.
We have always worked hard to do that.
I wish the company the best and I am proud of what we’ve achieved,” he wrote.
The Pennsylvania state attorney general’s office said it is investigating the firing.
In the meantime, Sonners will pay the woman $7.2 million and the company $1.5 million in damages, according the Associated Press.