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Article:
CEO Fires 900 Employees Over Zoom
Being fired is never fun, but being told over a one-way Zoom call is a particularly difficult way for it to happen. But that's how the CEO of New York-based mortgage and home insurance company Better.com laid off more than 900 of his employees.
In a video of the call, which has been shared on YouTube, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg can be seen announcing the news.
"I come to you with not great news," he said. He said that the industry had changed, and that the company had to change with it to be able to survive.
Garg said that he had made the decision to lay people off, so he wanted employees to hear the bad news from him. He added that this was the second time he had had to do this in his career.
"The last time I did it I cried," he said. "This time I hope to be stronger."
He then announced that the company was laying off about 15% of its employees.
"If you're on this call, you are part of the unlucky group being laid off," said Garg. He said their employment was ending immediately.
The employee recording the call can be heard saying she couldn't believe it.
"After all we did for the company?" she said.
Better.com CFO Kevin Ryan later said that the company only laid off 9% of employees.
This isn't the first time Garg has been in the news with his behavior toward his employees. According to Forbes, in 2020 he sent staff an email calling them "dumb dolphins," saying they were too slow and embarrassing him.
Questions:
What are your thoughts on this article?
Aside from the one-way Zoom call, how should the CEO have done about the layoff?
Have you ever received any bad information in an one-way communication manner like by mail, call or letter, etc.?
Have you ever had any experience about online meeting like Zoom which you were surprised at or strongly remember?
Are there any changes about your family, lifestyle, mental or physical thing caused by this pandemic?
Is there any remaining problem at work caused by the pandemic? or does your industory have any newly emerging problem, like by recent global situation?
Is there any person who is close acquaintance and is badly affected by the pandemic?
Could you tell me your work experience in which you had hard time?