Imagine hopping on a zoom call one day with 899 other employees.
As you watched your CEO’s face appear on screen, you wonder how much bonus you are going to get this year – after all, it is the end of the year.
Instead, you were notified that you were fired along with everyone else in the meeting, effectively immediately. Suddenly, the call ended after three minutes and you are unemployed, drowned with a mountain of bills to pay.
Although that seemed like an unethical thing to do, especially during the Christmas season, that actually happened to 900 Better.com employees.
CEO Who Fired 900 Employees from a Zoom Meeting Reportedly Apologises for His Action
Last week, CEO of Better.com, US mortgage company, Vishal Garg, let go of 900 employees from the United States and India on a three-minute zoom conference call.
He started the call with “I come to you with not great news.” He then went on to talk about how the market has changed and they had to move with the market to survive.
Thus, he decided to let go of about 9% of the company. Garg also mentioned that this is his decision and he wanted the employees to hear from him first.
All those that were on the call will have their employment terminated immediately. They can also expect an email from HR with details of their severance and benefits.
Garg also added that this was the second time he had to do such drastic measures.
“The last time I did this I cried.”
The call ended after three minutes.
Staff who were on vacation were unaware of their termination while those who were not able to attend the meeting were left puzzled when their devices stop working as well. All the terminated employees’ computers automatically shut down when the meeting ended.
A Better.com spokesperson said the company has spent the day reaching out to those that did not attend the webinar.
The call has since been leaked online and has been shared on various platforms. It is unsure who recorded and leaked the call.
Apology
About a week after the zoom meeting, an anonymous verified employee leaked a letter from Garg apologizing about the way he handled the layoffs last week.
“I failed to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected and for their contributions to Better.”
You can read the apology letter here:
Among the affected employees were the company’s diversity and inclusion team.
After the layoffs, various employees submitted their resignations as well. This includes the VP of communications, head of public relations and head of marketing.
Received $750 million
Just last week, the company reportedly received a US$750million cash infusion from investors. Currently, the company is valued at $7 billion.
Employees ‘Stealing’
One of the reasons why Garg let go of so many employees was because he felt that they were “stealing” from their colleagues and customers by being unproductive.
He also accused them of working only two hours a day as opposed to the eight hours he paid them for.
Previously, he sent his staff an email calling them a bunch of “dumb dolphins” because they were not as efficient as he want them to be.
If only he knew how smart dolphins actually are.
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Featured Image: Youtube
