The Wing Attempts To Face Its Troubling Past

This week, female-oriented flex space operator The Wing announced it would be reopening one of its Manhattan locations next week.

Soon after the announcement was made on Instagram, issues of toxicity within the company began to flood the comment section. The company addressed these concerns with a note stating, “We see the concerns being raised” and directed people to a page on its website titled “Moving Forward.”

The page seemed to address the backlash by stating that the company was taking “steps to accelerate our efforts to support a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture at The Wing.”

As part of this effort, The Wing revealed it was bringing on Sheila Lirio Marcelo, former CEO of Care.com, as its executive chair, as well as appointing an advisory board to help with DEI efforts.

Last year, the company faced major criticism over its lack of inclusivity for all women and nonbinary people. This included accusations of racist and discriminatory behavior within the workplace. Months after, CEO Audrey Gelman stepped down and the firm has been trying to remedy its image ever since.

With news that The Wing is reopening, former staffers that formed the Flew the Coup collective commented that the company needs to take formal responsibility for the damage they caused its former staffers, especially the workers of color.

The Flew the Coup organization has requested an apology from cofounder Lauren Kassan, who is now CEO, and to be released from their non-disclosure agreements.