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Mumbai, November 10: A workplace mishap turned serious when employees were informed they were fired. An HR professional at a company was testing a layoff tool and accidentally triggered the termination of all employees, including the CEO. The incident was reported on social media, sparking confusion and making it one of the biggest “oops” moments in history, according to a report. The HR team forgot to enable the “test mode” and sent layoff emails to all 300 employees. The action triggered confusion and state of hysteria among the employees who received the termination letter. Every single employee and CEO panicked, as per first report published by Mathrubhumi, mentioning that it was an unforgettable day for employees on Slack. In 2025, several companies have fired employees for various reasons such as cutting costs, shifting focus on different business model, restructuring, AI implementation and others. Layoffs Surge to Highest Level in October Since 2003 in US, Hiring Lowest in 14 Years; Technology, Retail, Services, Media and Other Sectors Cut Nearly 1 Million Jobs: Report. HR Accidentally Terminates Employees, Aplogises Later Posts from the wellthatsucks community on Reddit Layoffs Mishap: Termination Triggers Mass Panic Among Employees According to an official Reddit post made on r/Wellthatsucks, the HR team was testing a new offboarding tool that accidentally sent termination letters to all 300 employees, creating widespread anxiety. The user wrote, “So our HR team was testing a new offboarding automation tool that sends templated ‘exit’ emails. Someone forgot to switch from test mode to live mode.” The Reddit user added that the email was sent in the morning. “Your last working day is effective immediately.” – this message was sent to all employees by email, and after receiving it, everyone went into panic mode on Slack. One manager reportedly said, “Should I start packing?” The Reddit user added that employees were shocked and unsure how to react, writing, “I don’t think anyone’s getting actual work done today.” HR Explains "No One Getting Fired" The HR team responsible for the mishap later sent a message to all employees apologising for the mistake. The team said, “DO NOT PANIC,” and explained that the “termination” email had been sent by an automation tool during testing and was not intentional. The Human Resources department clarified, “You are NOT being fired. Please ignore the message.” Amazon Layoffs Warning to India That GenAI Poses Real Risk to Future of White-Collar and Other Jobs Amid Global Impact: Report. The Reddit user on r/Wellthatsucks commented that the HR team must have forgotten to switch from test mode to live mode. Regardless of the accidental email, 223 tech companies have laid off 1,09,623 employees globally so far this year. Some layoffs in other sectors have gone unreported, making it difficult to determine how many people were actually affected.
