Noida Startup Runs Mental Health Survey, Fires Staff Who Reported “Stress”

An internal email from YesMadam, a home salon and tech-enabled beauty and wellness platform, has sparked controversy online. The email, allegedly sent by the company’s HR Manager, Ashu Arora Jha, states that employees who reported experiencing stress during a recent company survey have been let go. The letter has since gone viral on social media, attracting sharp criticism from professionals.

The alleged leaked letter, shared by IndiGo’s Associate Director of Digital Marketing on LinkedIn, read, “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.”

Several users have criticised the alleged layoffs.  A person sarcastically commented, “Kudos to this groundbreaking employee mental health initiative,” and then added, “Jokes apart, this is vile. And my heart goes out to the affected employees. Do better, YesMadam!”

Another wrote, “UNBELIEVABLE! This is actually insane!! Where exactly is the toxic corporate culture heading to by resorting to such inhumane acts?”

A  user commented, “Looks like the company wants employees to behave the way their name suggests. Just say Yes Mam for everything and keep going. Do not give honest feedback, do not be honest in a survey.”

The authenticity of the letter has not been independently verified, and YesMadam is yet to issue a response. But adding to the controversy, a former employee of the startup, Anushka Dutta, shared the letter on LinkedIn and claimed she was among those fired.

Ms Dutta, who worked as a UX copywriter at YesMadam, said, “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.”

Few users have even reacted to the news on X. 

“HR is NOT your friend” was the sentiment.

HR is NOT your friend. pic.twitter.com/2htw32XpNc

— Tamanna (@itssynecdoche) December 9, 2024

YesMadam took an in-office stress survey and fired the ones who were in stress.

Lesson learnt: Never be too honest with your HR. pic.twitter.com/rTzGKNsYxQ

— Kushal Arora (@digitalkushal) December 9, 2024

A user also speculated whether this might be a marketing tactic, commenting, “Please tell me this is a joke/marketing tactic.”

HR conducts a stress related survey – fires everyone who says they are stressed. ????

Surely, you cannot be serious @_yesmadam

Please tell me this is a joke / marketing tactic. pic.twitter.com/9bg0ofwqmy

— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) December 9, 2024

Although it remains unclear whether the layoffs are genuine or a marketing stunt, it has definitely sparked concerns about workplace ethics and the treatment of employee well-being.