Why is LinkedIn Silencing Worker Voices?

While the focus of this newsletter has been to track the latest policy developments related to NDAs and other silencing mechanisms, my underlying motivation has always been to give a voice to those silenced after experiencing workplace abuse.

That’s why this week I am writing about my own recent experience in being silenced by LinkedIn, which in turn is silencing the voices of hundreds of workers at the large organic, vegetarian food company, Amy’s Kitchen.

I am a contributor to Forbes, where I occasionally write about disinformation in the plant-based and biotech foods sectors. On Tuesday, I posted an in-depth analysis of numerous news accounts over the past few months about how workers at Amy’s Kitchen have experienced serious labor abuses, including speed lines resulting in injuries, lack of bathroom breaks, and union-busting tactics.

Because I have a significant following on LinkedIn, I was eager to post it there. I had been sharing a few related news items as they came out in recent weeks. On Monday I shared this disturbing video of interviews with five workers describing a pattern of neglect, abuse, and hypocrisy by Amy’s Kitchen’s management. I noticed that same day that CEO Andy Berliner had viewed my profile, so I was on their radar.

(As a side note, the company has turned off the ability to comment on their own posts on LinkedIn, something I suspected happened in response to my comments on their posts asking about these news stories of labor abuses.)

Then on Tuesday once my article was live on Forbes.com, I posted it to LinkedIn, as I do with all of my articles, many of which have exposed all sorts of wrongdoing.

So it came as a shock and a surprise when less than 2 hours later, I was locked out of my account. No warning, nothing. Just no longer able to access anything. Instead I see a screen that has some boilerplate language saying “Access to your account has been temporarily restricted”, but still no explanation. I then had to upload a copy of my ID only to receive an auto-reply email saying:

We are experiencing higher than normal support volumes. Please allow 3-5 days for reply. We are sorry for the inconvenience and will reply back as soon as we are able.

It’s two days later and I am still locked out of my account. This is a Big Deal to me because I have spent a lot of time and effort over the past year or so building up a following on LinkedIn, which now tops 6,000 followers. As for many other independent consultants, LinkedIn has become a critical way to attract business.

It’s not just that I cannot access my account, I have been erased entirely from the platform, so one can find me there, or see any of my content. Being erased is a form a trauma. I know because I experienced it before with a former employer when they erased me from their website. So this is triggering to me.

More importantly, the platform has served as something of a lifeline for many women (and some men) who reach out to me via direct message to thank me for my content. They often share their own workplace trauma stories. I sometimes give them high-level advice, and if they ask for it, a referral to an attorney in their state. But mostly I validate their stories and show empathy. I have helped many women for free this way in recent months. So it breaks my heart to be shut out, because it means that others in pain no longer have access to me and my content there. There were even ongoing conversations where I would check in to see how these women are doing.

So, how did this happen? I can only come to one conclusion: That someone at Amy’s Kitchen complained to LinkedIn. While I do not have proof, I am basing this suspicion on the following facts: 1) I have never had anything like this happen before, despite posting many other critical blog posts and articles; 2) the company’s CEO viewed my profile the day before; 3) I was locked out less than two hours after my post.

Given Amy’s Kitchen’s various PR tactics, as I describe in my Forbes article, it would not surprise me if they have hired a “crisis management firm” that knows exactly how to get critics banned from social media. I have studied corporate tactics my entire career and this one is called “shooting the messenger”. But of course it won’t stop me. It’s just a temporary set-back.

And it’s not about me, it’s about the workers and the abuses they are experiencing on a daily basis at a company that claims its food is made with “love” and that they treat all employees like “family”. And shame on LinkedIn for suppressing the voices of these workers.

So please read and share my Forbes article with your own networks to let these workers’ voices be heard far and wide. And please forward this issue. Thank you.