Last week, 3,500 Uber employees learned that they were being laid off via a three-minute Zoom call.
In a video obtained by Daily Mail, the head of Uber’s customer service office, Ruffin Chaveleau, is seen telling employees that it was their last day at the company.
According to Chaveleau, ‘Our rides business is down by more than half. There is not enough work for many frontline customer support employees. As a result we are eliminating 3,500 frontline customer support roles.’
‘Your role is impacted and today will be your last working day with Uber. You will remain on payroll until the date noted in your severance package,’ She added.
In his response to the terminations, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, “We’re focused on navigating through this crisis that absolutely leaves us in a position, a stronger position, as the world starts to recover.”
Khosrowshahi also announced that he will be forsaking his base salary.
However, as expected, the company faces backlash for its seemingly callous and unsympathetic approach to a sensitive issue like job-cuts. Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has also faces criticism for rumours of him retaining a huge pay package while thousands of employees lose their source of livelihood.
As patronage increasingly declines, the ride-hailing company is only one of many businesses affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.