Indian start-up faces backlash after pretending to sack stressed staff

0
109

“Yes Madam”
New Delhi
An Indian beauty service start-up is facing backlash over an attempt to highlight workplace stress through a publicity campaign.
A couple of days ago, an email from the start-up “Yes Madam” went viral on social media in which “stressed” employees were informed that the company had decided to let go of those who had complained for feeling stressed at work, according to BBC.
However, on Tuesday, the company clarified that it had not fired anyone and that the social media posts were part of an effort to bring attention to the “serious issue of workplace stress”.
The campaign received criticism for toying with the emotions of already stressed workers while some praised it for drawing attention to an important workplace issue.
Some users even pointed out that a previously unheard of company had succeeded in grabbing the limelight in a matter of hours.
“Free promotion done right, huh? Who needs a marketing budget when you have outrage as your social media manager?” one user posted on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a start-up has been involved in a controversy for being a part of a questionable publicity campaign.