THE GIST
Following allegations of sexism and a hostile work environment, Jean Broillet IV "stepped down from all daily operations” at Tired Hands Brewery in May 2021. But without a similar public announcement, he has made a full-time return to the Ardmore, Pennsylvania brewery to apparently once again oversee day-to-day functions of the business.
A current Tired Hands employee says Broillet has effectively resumed his role as CEO and is at the brewery’s facilities six days a week. A former brewer who left the company this spring as a result of Broillet’s presence at the brewery confirmed that the founder has been working at Tired Hands’ property for months.
“The public wasn’t made aware of that at all. He just kind of snuck in and [employees] really don’t want him around,” the former employee says.
Broillet’s reemergence at the business is a return to the status quo that Tired Hands pledged to change in the wake of allegations that surfaced last year. Accounts from employees shared with then-Notch Brewing brewer, Brienne Allan, and reposted on her Instagram, described Broillet as intimidating and hostile to employees, especially women.
The current employee, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of this news, says Broillet has been present in manager meetings since mid-March. A copy of Tired Hands’ operating license issued that same month has been published by the website Breweries In Pennsylvania and lists Broillet as a 40% owner and a managing member of the company. The Tired Hands Instagram post from last May that announced Broillet would step down has been deleted.
Neither Broillet nor two other members of Tired Hands’ management responded to requests for comment. Good Beer Hunting has sent multiple emails to Tired Hands since mid-April seeking to clarify Broillet’s role at the brewery; Tired Hands has not responded at any point over the past three months.
WHY IT MATTERS
The current employee—who describes themselves as a “de facto leader” among front-of-house staff—says Broillet’s attendance on-site, as well as the “lack of progress” on workplace culture goals that Tired Hands set last year, has left workers dispirited and frustrated. Training on how to report harassment, which was promised to workers, has been delayed at least twice and has not yet taken place, this employee says. They add that there were discussions about creating an internal diversity, equity, and inclusion program. That also did not materialize. A common mood among some front-of-house staff, described by the current employee, is one of concern and tension at Broillet’s return.
The current employee and coworkers have discussed a work stoppage in an effort to convey their displeasure, though no plan is yet in place. Broillet was one of several brewery higher-ups to resign or step away from operations in the wake of last spring’s allegations, most of which were shared by Allan. This includes former Modern Times’ CEO Jacob McKean and much of Wormtown Brewery’s ownership team.
Broillet’s return is in direct contradiction to previous public statements made by the brewery, and it contributed to the departure of at least one Tired Hands employee this spring. Adding tension to the situation are messages from Tired Hands on social media directed at Allan, the brewer who touched off beer’s #MeToo movement last May via her @ratmagnet Instagram account.
Allan says that last week, the Tired Hands Instagram account messaged her and implied the company would take legal action against her if she did not remove posts that reference the brewery. Screenshots of these direct messages have been reviewed by Good Beer Hunting. In two now-deleted Instagram stories, Tired Hands Brewing’s official account also wrote: “JUST PLEASE STOP WITH YOUR HARASSMENT @ratmagnet” and “PLEASE STOP TRYING TO HURT GOOD PEOPLE @ratmagnet”. It is not clear who is running the Tired Hands Instagram account.
The current employee, who has worked at Tired Hands for more than three years, says workers have expressed “complete disgust” about these attacks on Allan. The employee also says workers still “walk on eggshells” when Broillet is present. From May 2021 to March 2022, when Broillet was supposedly stepping back from the brewery, the employee says he would still occasionally visit the taproom, brewery, and offices. This employee says managers would give staff 24-hours’ notice if Broillet was going to be on site so that employees who wanted to avoid him could try to do so.
The former brewer echoed the tension that Broillet caused in the company, saying that his time spent at Tired Hands in the past year was “more disruptive than constructive.” This former employee—who asked to remain anonymous for fear of legal reprisal from Broillet—says the Tired Hands founder seemed to be deliberate in his defiance of the promise to step away from operations.“It felt like a weird flex of ‘I’m not leaving; this is my brewery. I’ll be involved in whatever way I want to,’” the former brewer says.
The current employee also says there has been no human resources lead in place since February, leaving workers no formal outlet to voice concerns about Broillet’s return. The most recent human resources employee, Chris Williams, ended their time at Tired Hands in late winter or early spring. Williams’ LinkedIn profile lists his employment from May 2021 to March 2022 and the circumstances by which the employment ended are not clear. The current employee says Tired Hands’ chief operating officer Rob Berliner has told workers to direct questions about pay, benefits, and personnel issues to him.
As staff determine what their next steps may be, the current employee says they personally hope Tired Hands’ customers pay attention to Broillet’s return and the fact that many workers are upset by it.
“I’m speaking my values here, but don’t support businesses that you feel are doing bad things,” the current employee says. “I know I work there and my paycheck depends on it … but send a message with your dollars. The only way the culture’s going to change is if the money faucet stops.”
Words by Kate Bernot