‘Computer just shut down’: Better.com employees share experience after second mass lay off
2 min read . Updated: 10 Mar 2022, 06:26 PM IST
Premium- Better.com fired nearly 3,000 employees across the US and India, only 3 months after the company head had laid off 900 employees on a Zoom call.
My computer just shut in the middle me responding to a client, said one of the 3,000 employees of Better.com who was sacked in the company's latest round of firing.
“I did not find out through our payroll system, my bank account showing a severance check, or a phone call from HR. My computer just shut down in the middle of me responding to one of my clients," wrote Amanda Bullard on LinkedIn.
“I’ve been part of layoffs before. Similar to the previous layoff, I understand that Better needed to do this to survive. What I don’t understand is how executives could allow it to be done so poorly… twice," she added.
Another employee was disheartened to be sacked soon after his birthday.
“I just turned 26 and I never imagined being laid off would be my birthday gift. But as I said to a rep on my team this morning: “It’s part of the journey of life. Obstacles don’t break us, they make us stronger. It’s the obstacles that lead us on the path to greatness," Hiren Gihwala wrote.
Several employees of Better.com took to social media to share their experiences after being laid off on Wednesday. The digital mortgage company yesterday fired nearly 3,000 employees across the US and India, only 3 months after the company head had laid off 900 employees on a Zoom call.
Single mother Kiana Brown, who moved to a different city all on her own, was also amongst the 3,000 employees who were fired on Wednesday.
“I am more heartbroken than anything else. I moved as a single mother to a new city for this opportunity all on my own. Spent countless hours preparing and studying mortgage knowledge to advance my skills to be treated as if I didn’t matter. I understand layoffs happen. What I don’t understand is how the company communicated the news," Brown wrote.
The employees on Wednesday received their severance cheques in the payroll app, which was accidentally rolled out early.
Must take difficult step of streamlining our operations: Better
Earlier this week, A WSJ report suggested that Better plans to let go of 35% of its workforce, which is just over 3,000 employees.
“We must take the difficult step of streamlining our operations further and reducing our workforce in both the U.S. and India in a substantial way," Kevin Ryan, chief financial officer and interim president of Better.com, wrote in a letter sent to employees and posted to its website Tuesday.
The layoffs come as a result of headwinds affecting the residential real-estate market, Ryan said.
