On Tuesday, the company called YesMadam said the alleged guerrilla marketing stunt was secretly designed to lay the foundation for its launch of the country’s first-ever “De-Stress Leave Policy,” which would give employees paid leave time for mental health.

Furthermore, YesMadam also planned to introduce a new corporate program called “Happy 2 Heal” that offered head massages and spa sessions to help staff unwind and recharge.

The controversy started when a screenshot of an email sent to YesMadam staff from human resources manager Ashu Arora Jha swiftly made the rounds on social media on Monday. 

In it, she wrote that the company had conducted a survey to better understand workplace stress, noting that it valued and respected the many employees who shared their concerns with management.

“As a company committed to fostering a healthy and supportive work environment, we have carefully considered the feedback,” she informed them. “To ensure that no one remains stressed at work, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with employees who indicated significant stress.” 

The termination, according to Jha, was effective immediately. 

YesMadam apologized in a LinkedIn post for deceiving people into thinking it would ever stoop to “such an inhuman step,” saying no one was fired after all. Just the opposite in fact—they were given a break to reset and encouraged to release their stress. 

It added YesMadam wanted to lead the way in creating a corporate culture that proves strong businesses are built by happy employees.

“To those who shared angry comments or voiced strong opinions, we say ‘thank-you,’” it continued. “When people speak up it shows they care—and care is at the heart of our business.”  

A nation of overworked and burned-out employees

Southeast Asia has often had a reputation for poor labor protections and sweatshop-like working conditions.

But the July 2023 death of a young EY chartered accountant in the western Indian state of Maharashtra sparked a debate over a work culture many felt had verged on exploitation.

“No one from EY attended Anna’s funeral,” her mother wrote in a widely read letter to the company’s management that came to symbolize the tragedy. “This absence at such a critical moment, for an employee who gave her all to your organization until her last breath, is deeply hurtful.” 

India is already among the most overworked nations on earth, with the average person clocking 46.7 hours per week, according to figures from the International Labour Organization. That compares to just 38 hours for the typical American.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, India is also near the very bottom of the World Happiness Index, ranking 126 out of 143 countries with a marked downward trend over the past 20 years. Last November, a McKinsey Health Institute report revealed that Indians suffered the highest rate of burnout in the world. 

Ironically, just days before publishing its findings, the billionaire founder of Indian IT consultancy Infosys criticized his fellow countrymen for their lack of productivity.

He argued that this competitive gap with rival economies could only be closed through a greater commitment to working longer hours—a patriotic effort to elevate India’s global standing.

“Our youngsters must say: ‘This is my country, I want to work 70 hours a week,’” Narayana Murthy said last October.