YesMadam, a home salon service-providing company, has been receiving fresh backlash after revealing that a post made by one of its employees claiming that around 100 employees were dismissed for being stressed out was fake. The company clarified that it was a part of its social media campaign to address stress at work, but it had the opposite impact on social media users who slammed it for its "insensitive" and "tone-deaf" marketing campaign.
Several users pointed out that using a sensitive topic such as layoffs to gain attention was "deeply troubling".
"No one was fired at YesMadam," the company said in a statement. "We sincerely apologise 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."
Reacting to it, communication executive and LinkedIn user Cammy Joseph wrote, "Absolutely loathe how you took an actual humane issue and exploited it as another rancid marketing stunt to launch a service. This is why marketing gets a bad rap. You could have done ANYTHING but."
A corporate wellness strategist and psychologist Sakshee Parekar said, "It’s disappointing to see companies use something as serious as mental health just to get attention. If you really wanted to highlight the issue, there are way better ways than turning it into a marketing stunt. This whole thing feels like a shallow attempt to grab a moment in the spotlight. Mental health is real, and treating it like a trend won’t fix anything."
'Move goes against creating a healthy work culture'
Social media users also pointed out YesMadam's move is likely to promote distrust among employees, while raising questions on how the campaign was approved in the first place.
"Whoever approved this is unfit for their job," wrote New York-based founder Sanket Datta. "Short term, it was a PR stunt (a disgusting one). Long term, you just planted fear inside every employee of every company so they'd think twice before responding to any internal survey. They'd avoid being honest, because of the 'just in case' that you created with THIS! Good luck with creating a healthy work culture now!"
"I don't know who got fired or not but I can very well suggest firing the person who came up with this idea," added Chirag Parmar, an assistant vice president of a Mumbai-based company. "I'm sure their justification was "no publicity is bad publicity." And when you write a public clarification, have the courtesy to not let ChatGPT write it. Seriously, what were you thinking?"
Company announced de-stress leaves, internet calls it a 'cover-up'
Meanwhile, along with its clarification, YesMadam also announced its new "de-stress leave policy," under which employees can take six days of paid leave to de-stress and receive a complimentary spa session at home to help with their mental health and rejuvenation.
"In today's hyper-connected world, work-life boundaries are fading, stress is widespread, and productivity often overshadows employee wellbeing... Happy employees build stronger businesses, and we're here to lead the way in creating a culture that reflects this belief," YesMadam stated.
But social media users called the move a damage control measure. "What a branding fiasco!" wrote senior marketing executive Sumit Dave on LinkedIn. "YesMadam, from no angle this appears a considered step towards well-being of employees. In fact, you have amplified the anxieties... The coverup is an after thought, since it blew up in the face."
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