Nearly 500 members by evening, over 600 now: Inside Innodata's layoff WhatsApp group

Innodata employees formed a WhatsApp group after abruptly losing access to company systems. Its growing membership reflects mounting uncertainty as the company remains silent on layoff numbers.

A WhatsApp group called 'The Lay off victims', set up after employees of artificial intelligence services company Innodata began losing access to their work systems, has grown from nearly 500 members by late evening on Monday to 617, as workers try to establish who has lost their job, retrieve employment documents and figure out what comes next.

The group link was circulated across multiple Microsoft Teams groups after employees began experiencing system shutdowns, one of the terminated employees told India Today. Within seconds, people began joining, looking for colleagues who had faced the same situation.

"They were scared, frustrated, and helpless," the employee said, describing the rush to join the group.

IndiaToday.in reported on Tuesday that nearly 550 employees in India had been affected by the layoffs, with job cuts also reported in the Philippines. The company has not publicly confirmed the total number of employees affected.

For workers who had started Monday by logging in and recording their attendance, the day ended with colleagues trying to contact one another through personal accounts and WhatsApp. Some said they lost access to official devices and company accounts before they could retrieve their payslips and other employment documents.

'WE DID NOT EVEN GET TIME TO DOWNLOAD OUR DOCUMENTS'

For one 28-year-old employee, the day began like any other Monday, with a hectic workload and the usual routine. By lunchtime, however, rumours began spreading that the entire Philippines team of raters, quality experts, team leads and operational managers had been fired during a Zoom call.

"It started as an usual Monday morning, with all of us logging in and recording our attendance before starting our daily work. And it continued just like it usually does, all hectic and chaotic up until lunch time. Suddenly the rumour spread that the entire Philippines team of raters, quality experts, team leads and operational managers have been fired over a zoom call," the employee said.

The uncertainty soon reached Indian employees. Some logged into the HR portal and found that their payslips had been generated, with October 26 marked as their resignation date and last working day, the employee said.

"We frantically reached out to our managers, who were also taken aback at the news," the employee said.

As workers tried to contact managers and HR, access to company systems began disappearing.

"Laptops were logged out, and official IDs deactivated. As panic spread, we opened a WhatsApp group amd tried to trace our colleague who've met with the same fate. By late evening, we had almost 500 people, all clueless and in a state of panic," the employee said.

Termination emails subsequently arrived on personal email accounts, citing business requirements and downsizing, the employee said. But some workers had already lost access to the HR payroll application, making it difficult to download payslips and other important documents.

A termination email reviewed by India Today said the employee's job was being discontinued because of a reduction in the business assignment for which they had been engaged. It said the decision was based on business and operational requirements and was not related to individual performance.

The email also outlined the process for full and final settlement, including the return of company-assigned assets.

617 MEMBERS, BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS ANSWERS

The WhatsApp group has become a place for employees to compare what they know, reconnect with colleagues and discuss the uncertainty of losing a regular income. Its growing membership reflects the scale of the search for information, but the number of people in the group does not establish how many employees were laid off.

Some workers are still trying to confirm their employment status, according to the employee who spoke to India Today.

"Some of the employees have not received the termination letter yet. They only know that they can't work anymore since they do not have access. Some of them have family responsibilities," the employee said.

For those workers, the immediate problem is not just the loss of a job. They also need clarity on their termination, access to employment records and information about the process for settling their dues, while managing household expenses and looking for other work.

One employee estimated that nearly 90% of Innodata's existing workforce in India had lost their jobs, adding that only five people they knew remained at the company. This estimate could not be independently verified.

Innodata has not announced an official figure for the number of employees affected in India or the Philippines. IndiaToday.in has reached out to the company for comment, but no response had been received at the time of writing.

SHARES TUMBLE AFTER MASS LAYOFFS

Innodata shares fell sharply on Nasdaq on Tuesday, the day after the reported layoffs. The stock closed at $44.74, down $15.17, or 25.32%, from the previous close of $59.91, according to market data reported by India Today.

The shares fell as much as 28% during the session, while trading volume rose to nearly 9.8 million shares from around 741,000 in the previous session.

A termination email reviewed by India Today cited a "ramp-down of the business assignment" as the reason for ending employment. However, it did not name the client involved or quantify the financial impact of the reduction. The company has not publicly clarified the reported layoffs or their implications for its business.

INNODATA ADVERTISES NEW VACANCIES

Even as employees reported losing their jobs, listings on Innodata's official LinkedIn page showed vacancies in areas including language services and cybersecurity. The advertised roles included French language specialist, cybersecurity specialist and lead security engineer.

The listings do not establish whether the vacancies are connected to the teams affected by the layoffs. It remains unclear whether the company is recruiting for different assignments or business requirements.

For members of 'The Lay off victims', the immediate priority remains finding answers. The group that began as a link shared among colleagues after their work systems went dark now has 617 members, many trying to establish their employment status, recover documents and work out their next steps.