The investigation presents similar accounts of women who were hired with the hijab at the "Olivier" company, at the beginning of 2026, who suddenly faced an unexpected change in the company's policies.
While large French companies espouse slogans of diversity and social integration, according to journalist Marie Turcan, a number of female employees at "Olivier" found themselves facing two difficult choices: either remove the hijab or be dismissed for serious misconduct violation.
The report quotes "Aisata," one of the victims of this decision, as saying she was called to her manager's office, where a line of veiled girls were present. She was then handed an official letter stating that the display of overt religious symbols while performing professional duties is not permitted.
Aisata says bitterly, "I was hired with the hijab, and at that time, there was no problem. Now they have given us just eight days to remove the hijab or leave."
She also said about the pre-dismissal meeting, "It was a completely formal meeting. They pretended our opinion mattered, but the decision had already been made. We already knew the verdict."
Turcan also points to the contradiction between the dismissal of veiled women and the company's use of images of veiled employees in its advertising. These images were used to promote a program called "Women's Talents"—a program that, the company claimed, was designed to help women reach management positions.
One employee also noted with surprise that the background image on the company's computers was a photo of a veiled woman with the slogan, "What if it were you? Don't delay in advancing!" just days before she received her dismissal notice.
The investigation shows that the dismissals were not limited or isolated incidents but have been repeated in a similar pattern. One employee said, "I was hired with the hijab, and there was no problem." Another woman said that when she was hired, she was told, "We are in 2025; come as you are."
However, company management has emphasized that this is not a general policy but concerns a few individual cases where individuals refused to comply with the regulations. The company claims that the recent changes were made within the framework of standardizing internal regulations, especially in workplaces related to public services such as schools and hospitals.
Nevertheless, the Mediapart report shows that the "Olivier" group amended its internal regulations on April 2, 2026—just before the dismissal process began—adding clauses about the principle of neutrality in private places, an action apparently taken to block potential legal avenues for employees in court.
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