Short-video-based social media app Chingari has laid off around 60 employees as part of its restructuring plan, the company said on Tuesday.
Sources said that the total number of fired employees constitutes about 25 percent of the Chingari’s total workforce but the company said that it has laid off only 20 percent of its workforce.
When contacted, a Chingari spokesperson said, “We deeply regret the need for these workforce reductions of 20 per cent as a part of Chingari’s organisational restructuring. These were one of the toughest decisions for our management and we understand the impact they have on our employees. We are appreciative of their contributions and commitment to Chingari.” The development adds to the woes for people working in start-ups where a large number of employees are being frequently laid off.
Recently, edtech major Byju’s and controversy-ridden Mojocare laid off around 1,000 and 170 employees respectively.
A social media handle in the name of Gas Lighter appeared after Chingari laid off employees.
The handle sent out tweets about lay-offs at Chingari. It claimed that the company has laid off 60 percent of the total workforce and Slack accounts of several employees have been deactivated to push them towards forced resignation.
The Chingari spokesperson said that the company as part of the severance package is offering two months’ salary to the impacted employees to assist them during the transition and three more months of health insurance coverage.
“Moreover, we are devoted to supporting our impacted employees by providing all-encompassing support, such as career counselling and job placement assistance. Our priorities continue to be streamlining processes, boosting productivity, and matching resources to our long-term growth goals,” the spokesperson said.
