After receiving flak for 'laying off' employees under work stress, YesMadam claims no one was fired

Services marketplace YesMadam claims it has not fired any employee for being stressed at work, after a LinkedIn post went viral online, stoking controversy about the company 'parting ways' with employees under stress.

A day ago, Anushka Dutta, a UX copywriter at YesMadam, had shared, on LinkedIn, a screenshot of an email from the company's HR manager about laying off employees who had reported high stress levels in an internal survey held by the company.

"To ensure that no one remains stressed at work, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with employees who indicated significant stress," stated the email.

It also said, "This decision is effective immediately, and impacted employees will receive further details separately."

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Dutta's post has garnered 4.8k likes and about 760 comments so far. It was accompanied by a caption that claimed that close to 100 employees had been fired overnight after the survey. The post was subsequently shared and reposted widely.

Several social media users criticised YesMadam for the lack of logic in the operation; some also wondered if it was all a marketing stunt.

Planned effort, says company

In a statement issued on LinkedIn today, YesMadam has said that the social media posts were part of a planned effort to highlight the serious issue of workplace stress. It also reiterated that employees were not laid off and were given a break to reset, urged to rest and recharge themselves, and encouraged to release their stress.

In the same statement, YesMadam has announced it has launched the 'Happy 2 Heal' corporate programme offering head massages and spa sessions at the workplace.

The company also said it is also launching a 'De-Stress Leave' policy, which will come with six de-stress paid leave days annually, along with complimentary spa sessions at home.

Earlier this year, YesMadam, which competes with services marketplaces like Urban Company, secured Rs 1.5 crore funding on Shark Tank India.