‘Terminated suddenly, salary delayed’: Indian startup Byju’s ex-staffer breaks down in video

An ex-employee of Byju’s posted a tearful video stating that the Indian ed-tech company has been pressurising her to resign and threatened to not pay her salary beyond August 1 if she fails to resign. 

Akansha Khemka, , who has been laid off recently, was employed as an academic specialist with the Indian unicorn.

In the video that has gone viral, Khemka said she is the sole breadwinner of the family and if all her dues are not cleared by the company, it would drive her to commit suicide. The woman worked for the startup for around a year and a half.

In the video posted on LinkedIn on July 26, a tearful Khemka stated, “I was abruptly told in a meeting that I have to quit the company by July 28 or else I won’t get my salary on August 1. They’ll need around 30-35 more days. I am the only earning member in the family, my husband is unwell, I have loans to repay, how will I survive if they don’t release my salary on the first?”

She said that when her termination was announced during the meeting, her manager said that she had been laid off because of her behaviour and performance. However, when Khemka spoke to HR, she was informed that it was not the reason why she was being fired. 

“Byju’s had also promised variable pay, and I took loans for my family accordingly, but the company never paid up and now the vendors are after me. Where do I go? How will I eat?” Khemka stated in the video.

Not even a month’s notice given

She also stated that if she was given at least a month’s notice by the company, she would have been able to find another job and not be left in the lurch by the end of the month. 

Speaking about the purpose of posting the video, Khemka stated that if the video gets a better reach, it can help in creating pressure on the company to clear her salary and her other dues. 

“I have not taken a single day’s leave in this company. I want my salary, I want my variable pay, I want to encash my paid leaves and I want my PF payments cleared. Unless the company releases the money, I will not be able to feed my family and in this condition, and may have to eventually commit suicide,” she said. 

She appealed to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help. “The Indian government makes statements on justice abroad, at least ensure that the people of your country are given justice. Byju’s is taking money from parents and not allocating classes to them, employees are being laid off without any notice,” she stated. 

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Talking about the problem that social media is filled with complaints from parents, especially regarding refunds, Khemka said, “They burned through all the parents’ money. Every time there’s a meeting, parents keep demanding their money back. Why is this happening? Byju’s has been eating away everybody’s money. What they are doing with parents and employees is fraud.”

She further requested other professionals not to join Byju’s. “Do whatever you want in life, teach wherever, do not get a job at Byju’s and ruin your lives. I ruined 1.5 years of my life here,” she said. 

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