A leaked screenshot is creating furore all over social media — stating that a survey was conducted to understand the stress levels employees are facing within the organisation and those who responded with significant stress were shown the exit door with immediate effect.
Initially shared on LinkedIn, an Associate Director from Indigo, the post is a screenshot from the HR Manager from Yes Madam, the Noida-based doorstep beauty platform that also gained fame via Shark Tank, ostensibly solicited feedback on the employee’s feelings through a ‘survey to understand one‘s feelings about stress at work. The person then revealed that the company allegedly decided to ‘part ways’ with those who ‘indicated significant stress.’
The LinkedIn post is garnering substantial backlash where some are expressing indignation over the organisation’s actions, while others are responding with jibes. One user quipped, “Why initiate surveys and feedback when you cannot do anything to fix employee’s (sic) issues?”.
The Rising Focus on Mental Health in Workplaces
Mental Health has become one of the foremost aspects in office spaces where it’s one of the biggest determiners of work-life balance. Organisations which do not cater to the needs of their employees are quick to be called out on social media and are ‘cancelled,’ which according to the Miriam-Webster dictionary means, “mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren’t socially accepted today.”
At a time when burnout rates are alarmingly high and prominent business leaders are stressing about working for unscrupulous hours, such a jarring revelation can throw a wrench in the entire discourse of mental and physical health discussions. And we have figures to chaperone that.
Alarming Statistics: The Stress Epidemic
All Things Talent recently surveyed 23,000 jobseekers which revealed the amount of stress employees experience in their occupation and the numbers are jaw-dropping. Turns out:
- 26% of employees often feel compelled to work overtime, disrupting their personal lives.
- 44% of respondents reported persistent, albeit manageable, stress levels.
Meanwhile, another survey of 37,000 employees unearthed similarly troubling insights:
- 18% stated that their working hours preclude a healthy work-life balance.
- 20% acknowledged that while their balance is tolerable, it ‘could be better.’
While these numbers are enough to say that for many, the scale has already tipped from ‘manageable’ to ‘unsustainable’, no data or number can gauge the stress an employee may face in office. At an age when there have been cases of not only employees succumbing to overwork but even human-made machines perishing, does such a peculiar style of laying off cast a shadow over the broader corporate commitment to safeguarding mental health and plummet all the progress made in employee safety back to nadir?
As of now, no such official statement has been released by Yes Madam, therefore the veracity of the allegations remains unanswered.
