Inclusion dispute: Burger King Kazakhstan responds after autism-related controversy

Tengrinews.kz – A public controversy has erupted around Burger King Kazakhstan after social media posts alleged unfair treatment of an employee with autism. The company has responded to the claims.
What happened
The discussion began after a post on Threads by a woman who said her son, identified as A., had worked at one of the chain’s restaurants for four years.
According to the post, he “worked steadily for four years, earned a salary, enjoyed spending his income, felt included in the team, stayed for overtime, planned vacations and transferred between branches”.
The woman claimed that the work environment had previously been supportive, but after a change in regional management last autumn, the situation deteriorated. She alleged that her son was being pressured to resign and said that a personal meeting with the new manager did not resolve the issue.

“It felt like I was talking to a robot. He recently arrived in our country and, in my view, is not familiar with the principles of an inclusive society,” she wrote.

She also said that after publishing the post, she was contacted by individuals who introduced themselves as current and former Burger King employees. They allegedly reported possible labor rights violations and pressure from new management, describing behavior they considered arrogant and disrespectful.
One message claimed that a restaurant director had placed an offensive image on the staff attendance logbook.
The posts sparked widespread reaction online. In the comments, some users called for the dismissal of managers allegedly involved, urged the appointment of local staff to leadership roles, and demanded that the issue be brought to the company’s headquarters.
Company response
Initially, the official account responded in the comments, referring to the young man as a former employee and expressing regret over the situation.
However, the company later published an official statement clarifying that the employee has not been dismissed and remains on staff.

“No decision to terminate the employment relationship was made by the company,” the statement said.

According to Burger King Kazakhstan, on January 29 the HR department received information about the employee’s intention to take leave, after which he temporarily stopped coming to work. The company stated that no formal resignation letter had been submitted by the employee himself.
The statement also noted that on February 6 the employee’s mother submitted a resignation letter written on her own behalf. Under Kazakhstan’s labor legislation, such applications must be submitted directly by the employee.

“The company offered possible solutions, including a transfer to another restaurant. We remain open to dialogue and ready to discuss further steps in a constructive format with the participation of the employee and his family,” Burger King Kazakhstan said.

The company added that an internal review is currently underway.