Lenskart landed in trouble after a document claimed to be its employee grooming policy started circulating on social media and the document suggested that employees should not wear certain religious symbols at work and this reportedly included items like bindi and tilak after which people online felt this was against cultural and religious expression. This very quickly this turned into massive criticism on social media and accusations of being insensitive to Indian traditions started floating along with calls for boycotting Lenskart.
In India, things like: bindi, tilak, kada, hijaba and turban are not just fashion choices but they are tied to religion, identity and culture so when the viral document suggested restrictions many people felt that the employees were being asked to hide their identity and expressed that a company rooted in India should respect diversity instead.
Peyush Bansal stepped in early to control the damage and clarified that the viral document was “outdated” and does not reflect current company policy and assured that there are no restrictions on religious expression along with this he also apologized for the confusion.
After backlash continued Lenskart issued a formal public statement and made a key move:
1. New “In-Store Style Guide” released
The company made its policy public and transparent and clearly stated that employees are allowed to wear religious symbols.
2. What is now explicitly allowed
The company said it welcomes all symbols of faith including:
Bindi
Tilak
Sindoor
Kalawa
Mangalsutra
Kada
Hijab
Turban
Basically they made it very clear that no one has to leave their identity at the door.
