The truth behind an email declaring that a staff member had been made redundant after a benefits survey found them to be “stressed” sparked further outrage.
It all started when Anouska Dutta, who works as a copywriter for the Indian company YesMadam, shared a screenshot of an unsolicited email she allegedly received from the company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“What's going on at Yes Madame? First they do a random survey and then they fire us for one night because we're stressed? And not just me? 100 others were also laid off,” she wrote.
YesMadam is a technology platform for beauty and health. A copywriter described the incident as a “mass layoff.”
This post went viral.
People online shared their shock and horror at the brutal email. It was called “toxic” and “insane.”
The email also garnered millions of views on X, as it was shared by Siqi Chen, who founded tech startup Runway and has more than 70,000 followers.
He claimed he was “shocked” by the email, which he described as “actually insane” and sparked a massive thread.
In an email, the company's human resources manager claimed that the company had decided to “part ways” with an employee who indicated in a recent health survey that he was experiencing “significant stress.”
“This decision is effective immediately, and affected employees will be further notified of further details,” the email said.
The company has now reversed this claim, declaring that no one was fired and that the email was a marketing ploy to highlight “the serious issue of workplace stress.”
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by recent social media posts suggesting that we have terminated employees due to stress. We would never take such an inhumane step.” writes the company.
“We would like to thank those who have shared angry comments or expressed strong opinions. When people speak up, it shows they care, and caring is what drives our business. It is the center of
After employees completed a workplace happiness survey, the company said employees who shared that they were feeling stressed were given a reset break, encouraged to “rest and recharge,” and were not fired. I explained that there was no one there.
The company added that while 'productivity' often overshadows employee happiness, this is not the case at Yes Madam and they were happy to introduce India's first 'stress relief leave' policy for their employees. .
Employees are currently entitled to six days of paid stress leave per year.
Dutta, the employee who first shared the email on LinkedIn, also clarified that “no one was fired” and that her original post was false.
“Everyone wants to know what really happened with Yes Madam. I'm spilling the beans here,” she wrote.
“Yes, the research was actually done. In fact, I volunteered for the research and was part of the core team that created the stress relief vacation idea.”
The staffer claimed that the email that went viral was a “planned action” and that he pulled the stunt out of “the necessity of the moment.”
“Stress is not limited to one office, one city, or one country; it is a universal problem that requires immediate attention,” she said.
Carly Cremin, business consultant and managing director of the Dynamic Leadership Program Australia, said stunts like this trivialize something very serious and make an already charged conversation even more serious. He said there was.
“You wouldn't send an email saying, “People with severe lacerations at work will be fired,'' followed up with “I was just trying to draw attention to an important issue.'' she told news.com.au. .
“This is because a) it's nonsense and b) physical injury is seen as somehow more meaningful. Companies that seek attention in this way reduce conversation and That makes us all even more unhappy.”
Online, people were outraged that the company had acted unfairly in firing employees, saying it was difficult to trust companies that lied about the situation.
“It turns out that Yes Madam is a company that fires its own employees for a PR stunt,” one person wrote.
“This is one of the most disgusting things I've seen in my 20 years of executive leadership,” complained another.
“What about our stress levels skyrocketing after you pulled your marketing stunt yesterday? Isn't this more like a mockery made out of stress?” asked another.
Another called the stunt “ridiculous” and “disgusting and shameful.”
Another person said the company needed to address “secrecy,” and one person called the revelations “pathetic.”
One person wrote: “Absolutely shocking.”
“Is this the corporate version of 'I was kidding'?” asked another.
“Fire the person who came up with this stupid idea,” someone else ordered.
