New Delhi: Klarna Bank AB's chief executive officer, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, has drawn mixed reactions for publishing a contact list of former employees that the company recently terminated as a part of a cost-cutting campaign.
Sebastian Siemiatkowski posted the list on Linkedin and said that he has "mixed feelings about this document". He said that the document reflected the caliber of the departing staff and was a very hard decision that saddened him deeply.
"I hope everyone out there understands what a goldmine this document is. Some recruiters should probably ignore LinkedIn or other sourcing channels for a few days and put all their energy into this list. I am sure these people will not be available for long," the Swedish company's chief executive said.
The list, which contains details of nearly 600 employees, has been created by an employee who remains at the company. A Klarna spokesperson said that all those named on the list have signed up for it voluntarily.
The 40-year-old CEO's post drew a wide spectrum of reactions, from outrage over its tone deaf content to praise for attracting the attention of recruiters. The largest trade union in Sweden's financial industry, Finansforbundet, told Bloomberg that it has asked to discuss the posting of the list with Klarna.
One of the comments on the post read, "This is so tone-deaf I can't even believe it. I left Klarna one month after I joined. Best decision I made. Klarna is the most chaotic place I've ever been a part of, and knew immediately that something like a big lay-off was just a matter of time."
Another user wrote, “I feel the exposure of thousands of email addresses in a public document is not so smart. I'd suggest making the list available to recruiters that ask for it and not to the whole internet (sic)."
One of them called the list a “goldmine for recruiters". He wrote, “ However, while this list is a gold mine for recruiters, it is also a gold mine for bad actors to target people who are in need of a job & who may be extra trusting."
The employee union said that it wasn't consulted on the job cuts and that the company should have informed them at an early stage.
Klarna's spokesperson says the company “has not given notice of dismissal, and is therefore not obliged to inform the unions, but hopes to reach an agreement with the employees concerned."