Former Better.com workers say they were used to outbursts from the CEO, but when he fired 900 people on a 3-minute video call they were shocked
He didn’t know it would be his last call as an employee of the online mortgage company.
“If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off,” Garg said on a one-way webinar last Wednesday, which lasted three minutes. Garg started immediately and did not wait for workers to trickle into the meeting. “Your employment here is terminated effective immediately.”
The call ended abruptly, leaving the underwriter dumbfounded. Chapman, who is the sole provider for his family of 7, was used to outbursts from his boss, but this was unexpected.
Chapman began messaging in company Slack channels asking what was going on when his screens went black — he lost access to his company computer, phone, email and messaging. He resorted to Facebook Messenger to reach out to colleagues.
Garg had promised a follow-up email from HR, but employees’ access was terminated. Chapman ultimately received the communication via his personal email hours later.
“It was a surreal moment. It was one of those things that you don’t believe it’s going to happen,” Chapman said.
Big money
“I got promoted, and then he’s out there trying to portray everyone as lazy and stealing money,” said another former employee who asked not to be identified, and who recently won an award for his performance at the company. “That is messed up. I’d rather be broke than have whatever is going on in his head.”
Chapman, who has worked in the mortgage business for almost 20 years, also said he had recently completed a positive performance review call with his manager.
Employees described a chaotic work culture at Better.com, one with many benefits but also a CEO who regularly dropped F-bombs in company-wide virtual meetings.
“I realized after my first meeting that I needed to keep it on mute and keep my earphones in, because I’ve got five kids and I didn’t want them hearing that kind of language,” Chapman said.
Chapman said he has now been through four layoffs at various mortgage companies, but none as “obtuse and dispassionate” as this.
“I am looking for the bright side but there’s the reality of the situation,” Chapman said. “Things aren’t going to be what they were and it’s going to require some massive action on my part.”
What went wrong?
CNN’s Anna Bahney contributed to this report.
