YesMadam, an online beauty services platform, is facing a wave of criticism after an internal email surfaced, allegedly revealing that employees who reported high stress levels in a recent survey were fired. The email, which has gone viral on social media, has evoked mixed reactions and raised concerns about the company's handling of employee well-being.

Indian home beauty startup YesMadam sent a survey to their employees about stress and then fired the employees that said they were under significant stress 🤦🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/R8KRNWGBJx

— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) December 9, 2024

The email, reportedly from a YesMadam HR executive, said: “Recently, we conducted a survey to understand your feelings about stress at work. Many of you shared your concerns, which we deeply value and respect.  As a company committed to fostering a healthy and supportive work environment, we have carefully considered the feedback. To ensure that no one remains stressed at work, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with employees who indicated significant stress. This decision is effective immediately, and impacted employees will receive further details separately. Thank you for your contributions.”

One employee shared a screenshot of the email, claiming she was among the roughly 100 workers laid off. "What's happening at YesMadam? First, you conduct a random survey, and then fire us overnight because we're feeling stressed? And not just me, 100 other people have been fired too," she wrote.

In response to the fallout,  YesMadam issued a statement denying the claims. “No one was fired at YesMadam!” the company wrote. “We sincerely apologize for any distress caused by recent social media posts suggesting we dismissed employees for being stressed. Let us be clear: We would never take such an inhuman step. Our team is like family, and their dedication, hard work, and passion are the foundation of all our successes. The social media posts were a planned effort to highlight the serious issue of workplace stress.”

The company added that the affected employees were not fired, but instead given time off. “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.”

YesMadam stressed the importance of employee well-being, introducing a new program called “Happy 2 Heal.” The initiative offers head massages and spa sessions at the workplace to help employees unwind. The company also said that it has introduced what it called “India’s first “De-Stress Leave Policy,” which provides six paid de-stress days annually, along with a complimentary spa session at home for each employee.”

“We firmly believe that the backbone of any great organization is not built on stressed shoulders, but on happy minds,” YesMadam said in the statement. "Let’s make employee well-being the new norm."

Bavani Srinu, Cluster Director, Marcom, Hilton, wrote on LinkedIn, “YesMadam was a top trend on Google in India in one day, with over 20,000 searches. The related keywords that people Googled included 'Yes Madam layoffs' and 'Yes Madam company.' If this was a PR stunt, it was done in poor taste. This reminds me of Poonam Pandey stunt on cervical cancer. Another distasteful PR campaign. Anything for virality is it?  YesMadam? No thank you Madam!”

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