Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on December 10, 2024
YesMadam responds to backlash, clarifies viral HR email was part of ‘planned effort’: ‘No one was fired’
YesMadam clarified that employees who admitted feeling 'stressed' on the job weren’t terminated but were instead offered "a break to reset."
YesMadam layoff: The company clarifies viral HR email was part of 'planned effort’ (Image source: Representational Image/Unsplash)
Delhi-NCR-based startup YesMadam that faced a backlash for firing its employees on Tuesday clarified that the viral email from their HR manager was part of a “planned effort” and denied any claims of terminating employees over workplace stress.
In a social media statement, the home salon service assured the public that “no one was fired at YesMadam.”
The company expressed regret over the situation, stating, “We apologise for any distress caused by recent social media posts suggesting we dismissed employees for being stressed.”
See the post:
The company explained that their “planned effort” was aimed at drawing attention to the critical issue of workplace stress. They clarified that employees who admitted feeling ‘stressed’ on the job weren’t terminated but were instead offered “a break to reset.”
On Monday, an email screenshot from a company’s HR department caused a stir online. The email announced that employees who reported “significant stress” in an internal survey would be let go. The news sparked widespread backlash, with many criticising the company’s actions.
However, tech journalist Shephali Bhatt suggested the controversy might be staged. Posting on her X account, she revealed, “A content creator claims that the story about a certain brand firing employees for affirming stress in a survey is a PR stunt… Said they were approached to promote it.”
A content creator claims that the story about a certain brand firing employees for affirming stress in a survey, is a PR stunt… Said they were approached to promote it.
Have asked the brand to comment, even though this entire exercise is ridiculous either way :-/
— Shephali Bhatt (@ShephaliBhatt) December 9, 2024
Many people have shared their thoughts on YesMadam’s recent LinkedIn post, with a lot of them criticising it. Several commenters voiced their disapproval, calling it a shallow attempt to grab attention.
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Varnit Yadav, nutrition coach, wrote, “Ewww. What a lousy PR stunt. I usually refrain from using words like eww on LunkedIn, but ewwww.”
A psychologist, Pragya Arora, commented, “So now toxic behaviour is rebranded as a PR stunt? Bold strategy-destroy trust, gaslight your employees and call it marketing. Pro tip: Real PR is earned through good culture, not by making headlines for the wrong reasons. Maybe hire a PR firm next time instead of sacrificing your team’s well-being for clout.”
Another individual commented, “This reminds me of something Zomato did with their chief of staff post, but these guys did it way worse.”
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