Wellbeing stunt | Company's 'fake firing' of stressed workers was a PR misstep

It’s not every day that a workplace wellbeing initiative makes waves across social media – for the wrong reasons. Yes Madam, a beauty and wellness service provider, found itself in the eye of a social media storm after an alleged email from its HR head claimed employees who reported significant stress in a workplace survey were being terminated. 

In the ‘leaked’ email, titled ‘Update on stress survey results’, the company’s head of HR appeared to tell employees:

“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.