YesMadam firings: Startup says nobody was laid off, ‘employees were given a break to reset’ | Company Business News-OxBig News Network

YesMadam has acknowledged the huge controversy that erupted after ‘mass firings’ at the startup, saying nobody was laid off but were simply given some time to reset and relax. In a long statement ‘highlighting’ stress at workplaces, YesMadam said the social media post, showing a firing email to about 100 employees who complained of significant stress, was “planned”.

In the post, titled ‘No one was fired at YesMadam!’, the online beauty services platform apologised for the huge controversy that it created, emphasising that the company would never take such an inhuman step.

It said, “We sincerely apologise for any distress caused by recent social media posts suggesting we dismissed employees for being stressed.”

“The social media posts were a planned effort to highlight the serious issue of workplace stress. And to those who shared angry comments or voiced strong opinions, we say Thank You,” YesMadam said.

The wellness company further said, “They weren’t fired; they were given a break to reset. They weren’t let go; they were encouraged to release their stress. They weren’t laid off; they were offered a chance to relax. They weren’t sacked; they were urged to rest and recharge.”

An text sent to YesMadam by Mint did not elicit a response.

YesMadam drew flak on Monday, December 9, after a purported internal email leaked on social media suggesting the termination of those staff who had indicated workplace stress during a survey. Many had then dubbed it a marketing gimmick for a possible campaign.

The controversy started when Anushka Dutta, whose LinkedIn profile identifies her as a UX copywriter at YesMadam, shared screenshot of the HR mail and said, “What’s happening at YesMadam? First you conduct a random survey and then fire us overnight because we’re feeling stressed?”

Internet users, however, were skeptical and speculated of the post’s legitimacy, terming it as a publicity stunt. A former employee pointed towards long work hours and said that employees are forced to work even on weekends and off days.

Noida-headquartered YesMadam became talk of the town when it secured investments from Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal, Sugar’s Vineeta Singh, OYO’s Ritesh Aggarwal and boAt’s Aman Gupta on Shark Tank India.