In a highly contentious twist, Noida-headquartered beauty service startup, YesMadam, landed in severe public wrath by reportedly sending over 100 employees packing when they confessed that they were feeling stressed during an internal poll. The crisis was highly charged when an image of a Human Resources mail started surfacing on the social networking sites, that saw broad condemnation.
Controversial Layoffs Spark Outrage
The commotion started when YesMadam conducted a stress survey across its workforce to gauge stress levels among its employees. Reports indicate that workers with high stress profiles were, in their emails, told they were terminated. The email said, "To ensure that nobody remains stressed at work we have taken the tough and painful decision to let some employees go who had major stress." This blunt communication also invited immediate backlash, as many questioned the ethics of taking away jobs from people who felt they were suffering from poor mental health.
One of the reported employees being let go, Anushka Dutta took to LinkedIn to express her anguish:
"What's going on at YesMadam? First you hold a random survey and then send us back home overnight as we were feeling stressed?
The matter raised grave doubts about whether the company still cared about employee well-being and mental health.
Company Responds Amid Backlash
In response to the mounting outrage, YesMadam released a statement clarifying that no employees were indeed fired for reporting stress. The company explained that the email was part of a "planned effort" to raise awareness about workplace stress and that those who reported feeling stressed were instead offered "a break to reset." YesMadam apologized for any distress caused by the misunderstanding and emphasized their commitment to employee welfare.
The statement read: "We truly apologize for the inconvenience caused by recent social media posts suggesting we sent people home for being stressed."
The company also unveiled some new initiatives, such as a 'Happy 2 Heal' program that offered spa sessions at work and a De-Stress Leave Policy allowing six paid days off each year for relaxation.
Public Response: Skepticism and Criticism
Even with such clarification, public reaction is still mixed. Many users of the social media network seemed skeptical about the motives behind the move by YesMadam and described the response as a publicity stunt rather than trying genuinely to support the welfare of its employees. The LinkedIn post was replete with skeptical comments questioning the genuineness of the claim from the company.
Moreover, competitors such as magicpin took advantage of the situation by offering laid-off employees a chance to apply for work, thus portraying themselves as more empathetic alternatives. This was highly commended and brought out the perception that YesMadam's actions not only hurt its own workforce but also created an opportunity for competitors to demonstrate their commitment to the welfare of employees.
Overview
The YesMadam case highlights some of the critical issues concerning workplace mental health and corporate responsibility. As it was the company's apparent attempt to address stress at the workplace, the implementation thereof had invited severe criticism and doubts about how organizations deal with mental health complaints of employees. This incident remains one of the many reminders on the delicate balance between business decisions and employee well-being. With this controversy, however, trying to gain public trust back might be a difficult task for YesMadam.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Reuters
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