Firing By Zoom? – Head of Employment Jennie Jahina Gives Her View

Following the recent news that a US boss has fired 900 employees over Zoom, Head of Employment Jennie Jahina gives her view.

“Many employment lawyers in the UK would have undoubtedly reacted with despair on hearing about Vishal Garg’s Zoom call with 900 staff during which he informed them their employment was to be terminated with immediate effect.

And this is not the first time that Mr Garg’s management style has made headline news. Admittedly, there are clear distinctions between  “at will” employment in the US and the employment law protections afforded to staff employed in the UK.

In the US employers can generally dismiss instantly where headcount reductions are necessary without first following a process; UK employment law requires a fair process  to be followed ahead of redundancies being announced [click here for an Employers guide to redundancy].

However, whilst Better.com may avoid the potential cost of litigation, Mr Garg may find his move costly for other reasons. Not only may his approach tarnish the company’s reputation in the marketplace, his lack of empathy ( which is a widely recognised as a trait of a good leader) may see other staff members leave for fear they too may be treated in a similar manner.”