The company that sparked outrage after sacking 900 employees via Zoom has reportedly let thousands of employees go without telling them first.
Vishal Garg, the CEO of online mortgage lender Better.com, earlier attracted backlash after accusing staff of ‘stealing’ from the company by being unproductive, and unceremoniously informing them they were ‘part of the unlucky group that is being laid off’ over a video call.
After taking some time off to 'reflect' on the 'regrettable' controversy, the CEO admitted he 'failed to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected'.
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Alas, Better.com has been called out once more after employees were informed of their redundancy via a severance payment, which they hadn't been warned about in advance.
It comes after TechCrunch reported the firm was poised to let go around 50% of its 8,000-strong workforce on March 9. A day later, ahead of schedule, 'they accidentally rolled out the severance payslips too early,' one unnamed employee told the outlet, estimating around 3,000 would be let go.
"Better Layoffs have started. Severance showing in our Workday app (which is payroll) as of 12 AM respective time zones. No email, no call, nothing. This was handled disgustingly," the employee said.
"Leadership remained absolutely silent, never acknowledged anything in regards to layoffs. They still haven’t."
When execs eventually realised the error, they allegedly deleted some of the checks from people's payroll accounts.
In a statement to LADbible regarding the redundancies, the company said: "Despite careful planning, a small number of employees were unintentionally notified of their separation from the company ahead of schedule when severance payment information was made available through either our internal payroll system or their financial institutions.
"This was certainly not the form of notification that we intended and stemmed from an effort to ensure that impacted employees received severance payments as quickly as possible.
"Personal, one-to-one calls will continue today in the US and through tomorrow in India to provide every person affected by layoffs with information about this announcement and the significant financial, healthcare and transition support Better will be providing."
A Better.com spokesperson earlier confirmed that "just over 3,000" employees would be given the sack, and shared an email from CFO Kevin Ryan on the mass redundancies.
"As you know, the residential real estate market has been changing rapidly, and our entire industry is facing a dramatic drop in origination volume due to rising interest rates," he wrote.
"It is clear – after careful, comprehensive review – that we will need to do more to ensure a strong path forward for the company and the vital work we are all doing to make homeownership more accessible for everyone."
Ryan cited 'volatility in the interest rate environment and refinancing market' for the lay-offs, urging they're 'in no way a reflection on the personal performance of any departing team members, all of whom have contributed to Better’s success'.
"This has not been an easy few months, and I want to express my sincere thanks to every member of the Better team for your hard work and focus. Our strongest days lie ahead," he added.
It's unclear how much Garg has influenced the decision, or any part he has to play in the payroll blip.
Topics: US News
Cameron Frew