Business owner reacts over a leaked email proving a company firing employees for being stressed – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

A leaked email allegedly sent by a HR Manager revealed how Yes Madam, a company which offers customers professional beauty and salon services at home, fired workers after they admitted they were stressed in a company-issued survey about workplace stress.

One Yes Madam employee shared the email along with a post claiming over 100 people had been fired as a result of their survey responses.

The email instantly went viral on LinkedIn causing multiple reactions from shock, anger and disbelief. With some believing it was a PR stunt.

Business owner, Gareth Hoyle, Managing Director at Marketing Signals, has shared his reaction to the viral post along with some actionable tips for how business owners can create a positive atmosphere and culture where people feel safe and supported when addressing their mental well-being.

Hoyle said, “If the Yes Madam email screenshot is real and employees have been laid off because they’re dealing with stress in the workplace, this is simply unacceptable and a clear indication of a toxic work culture.

The company should be taking a close look at the reasons why their employees are feeling stressed, how they can rectify the issues and what support they can provide, rather than sweeping it under the carpet. Businesses have a duty of care towards the well-being of their employees and should be able to deal with issues or concerns they have. After all, ensuring your employees are happy is likely to increase productivity and output, helping to hit business objectives and targets.

Comments on social media have suggested that the Yes Madam screenshot is nothing more than a marketing stunt to set up a campaign about how to manage workplace stress. Whether it’s genuine or a marketing stunt, it’s got people talking about the company for all the wrong reasons.

Trivialising workplace stress for social media clout is not the way to tackle employee mental health and could have the opposite effect by encouraging workers NOT to speak out in fear of being laid off from their jobs. Business and their senior leaders should be encouraging employees to speak out if they’re having a hard time in the workplace, so the issues can be rectified quickly and the right support can be put in place.

Yes Madam have since released a statement stating that no one was actually fired, instead they were given a ‘break’ to reset. This seems like damage control to rectify a viral post that has had a negative impact on the brand, whether it was a genuine email or a social media campaign. Social media posts like this spread like wildfire and can have a long term negative impact on a brand and its reputation with both customers and the workforce.”

Tackling workplace stress is important but it can have a profound impact on the wellbeing of your employees; healthier people make for a happier working environment. It’s in everyone’s best interests to support good mental and physical health as it will result in a much more productive, efficient and happier workforce as well as reduced sickness and an increase in retention.

Here are my tips for employees which I have implemented into my own workplace environment that has helped create a positive atmosphere and a culture where people feel safe and supported in addressing their mental well-being:

With a lack of communication, you could end up with unmotivated, ill-informed and disconnected employees, contributing to workplace stress. Try to be purposeful with your communication and encourage frequent communication. Organise frequent, but short, catch ups to keep everyone in the loop and provide a platform for them to ask for help or feedback if they need it, especially if you’re a remote team. Encourage non-work conversations in these meetings, too. This will help your team connect and get to know each other, which can help to build trust and ease feelings of isolation.

Constantly feeling the need to ask “what’s next?” or not knowing what’s expected of them, and when, could cause unnecessary stress amongst your team. That’s why tasks, responsibilities and deadlines should always be crystal clear.

While regular calls or meetings can help, investing in task/project management software is the best way to promote a seamless workflow. It provides a central location for your team to see their delegated tasks, understand what deadlines are coming up in a given day, week or month and gauge the status of each project without having to step on other people’s toes.

With 21% of remote workers feeling unmotivated, it’s also a great way to ramp up productivity. Seeing a list of tasks and physically being able to tick them off releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that generates feelings of accomplishment and happiness.

It’s very easy for employees to hide the fact they’re stressed, overworked or struggling with personal matters. For this reason, it’s really important that your employees feel comfortable enough to reach out if they need support. Encourage an open door policy where managers regularly ask for honest feedback and employees are actively encouraged to discuss any problems, without fear of repercussion. This will then help foster a culture where employees feel comfortable and safe coming to you with any mental health issues knowing that they’ll be supported.

Find the time to schedule regular 1-2-1s with each team member. This will help you to gauge how they’re doing both personally and professionally, whilst providing them with a natural opportunity to voice any concerns.

Constantly looming over your employees, setting strict working hours and tracking their every move is a surefire way to cause stress and burnout amongst your team. Instead, consider measuring their success on output, not attendance. Does it really matter when, where or even how your staff does their work, so long as they deliver the results you need? At Marketing Signals, giving employees the freedom to decide where and when they work best has led to increased productivity, as well as improved staff wellbeing, work-life balance and retention.

With computers and other devices within instant reach, employees often feel the need to be available 24/7. But never switching off from work is guaranteed to increase stress levels and, ultimately, lead to burnout. If you need to contact one of your employees outside of their core working hours, make it clear that they only need to reply at a time that’s suitable for them. Personally, I’ve added a permanent note on my email signature to make it clear that I don’t expect an instant response.

You can also promote a better work/life balance by encouraging your staff to take regular breaks throughout the day to eat, stretch, rest and exercise. This is a great way to manage and reduce stress throughout the working day.

It’s also helpful to assist your team in creating an effective home office set-up if they work from home. Having a specific working room or area that they can physically walk away from, rather than working from the sofa, will help them to establish a firm boundary between work and their personal life.

You might have told your employees they should take breaks and truly switch off from work outside of their hours, but what will truly set the tone is leading by example. Ensure those at the top of your company are modelling a healthy work-life balance. If your employees see that leaders are taking breaks, using their annual leave entitlement and truly switching off after work, then your employees will feel more comfortable doing the same.