Credits: Social Media
Kyte Baby CEO says she was ‘selfish’ for denying new mother’s remote work request in TikTok apology
The CEO of child’s clothing brand Kyte Baby has apologised on TikTok following some drama surrounding an employee called Marissa.
Customers were outraged over the way the company dealt with the worker’s request to work from home after choosing to adopt a baby just before Christmas.
Kyte Baby employee denied remote work request
The drama erupted after Marissa’s sister went on TikTok Live and claimed the new mother was denied the ability to work remotely after adopting a 22-week-old premature baby.
The company’s CEO Ying Liu has since confirmed that she did deny the remote work request and called her decision “wrong”.
Marissa and Rawley adopted their baby Judah Al Haven Hughes in late December and he is being treated in the ICU, a fundraiser set up by the pair reveals.
The couple from Dallas had been trying to have a baby for three years and sadly lost the baby all three times that they had fallen pregnant.
They have currently raised almost $60,000 on GoFundMe towards adoption fees and living expenses as the adoption call came at an unexpected time.
“The timeline the Lord has provided is a bit different than we would have expected,” they said. “We are eager and willing to accept this calling, but we cant do it alone.”
Kyte Baby CEO makes ‘insincere’ TikTok apology
Ying Liu shared an apology on TikTok, saying she wants to “sincerely apologise to Marissa for how her parental leave was communicated and handled in the midst of her incredible journey of adoption”.
She confirmed that they treat biological and non-biological parents equally and said she has the utmost respect for the adoption community, but this was sadly not fully communicated to Marissa.
The CEO took responsibility for the “oversight,” apologised once again for the fact that the employee “didn’t feel supported” and offered her a position when she returns back to work.
She also apologised to the entire community and said she would review the company’s values to “avoid hurting” any more staff in the future.
However, TikTok users accused the apology of being insincere, so Liu then shared a second one admitting that the whole thing was memorised and scripted.
CEO says she was ‘insensitive’ and ‘selfish’
The CEO admitted she was “wrong” for vetoing Marissa’s request to go remote while she stays in the ICU to take care of her adopted baby and called it a “terrible decision”.
“I was insensitive, selfish and was only focussed on the fact that her job had always been done on site and I did not see the possibility of doing it remotely,” she said.
Liu acknowledged that she “did not accommodate” the flexibility she needed and said she “can not imagine” the stress the new mother went through.
She took full responsibility for the mistake and said that as a mom herself, she realises the impact of her “shortsightedness” and is sincerely sorry.
The video concluded with the Kyte Baby CEO calling Marissa a “fantastic woman” with the “biggest heart” and a brilliant worker.
