From harassment to illegal dismissals, on Balance your start-up, the testimonies pile up like the followers, who are more than 150,000. Facade coolness and deplorable internal management? Or simple revenge of scalded employees? Everyone wants to distinguish the true from the false.
“She kept me awake every Sunday by emailing me at 10 p.m. for the Monday morning meeting. It has also triggered depressions among employees “,” Hell on earth … It makes terror reign and few people dare to speak “, chants an anonymous voice on the account Instagram @balancetastartup At issue: the manager of a start-up where HR practices leave something to be desired. His case is not unique: on the social network, the chilling testimonies multiply.
Founded in December 2020, the Balance ta start-up account’s mission is to denounce abuses within the start-up nation, of bullying at illegal dismissal. There are pointed out young plants from all sides, such as Doctolib, Lydia, Qapa, Side, Meero, Swile and more recently Lou Yetu. The testimonials are originally collected on the social network for assessing the work environment, Glassdoor. The rise in popularity is obvious. From then on, the tongues loosen on Instagram where the account holder publishes the messages sent to her. However, theanonymity remains in place, for fear of reprisals or breach of e-reputation.
Three years after the movements #MeToo and #Balancetonporc which had set social networks ablaze and led to several trial, Balance your start-up is registered alongside the eponymous accounts @balancetonagency, @balancetonstage, @balancetaredaction or @balancetontatoueur. Initiatives with a common DNA: manifest online in order to awaken questionable methods.
A former of the start-up nation
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The instigator of Libra your start-up is between 30 and 40 years old and claims to have collaborated within 5 start-up. Yes the positive points exist, but various actions offend her: “I witnessed abuse for years, it made me want to act “, she specifies incognito. Seeing the repercussions of the account @balancetonagency, which prompted the resignation of several big names in the advertising industry, and theMédiapart survey on the “Glasses Pour Tous” start-up who revealed the disastrous management from the darling optics start-up, it is launching. Its objective is then to provide solutions. “I approached a lawyer to look for ways to offer concrete help to people in difficulty. This account must become the buffer between the employees and the aid they can access“, explains the activist.
But quickly, his initiative disturbs, even if his page is not doomed to expose only the negative. “If I have ten testimonials on a start-up, I will publish the negatives as well as the positives. I force myself to respect the ratio, because I don’t want to bias the information, she assures. If a brand wants to express itself, it is welcome.“
With the popularity of the account exceeding 150 000 followers, she is wary of disgruntled former employees in search of vengeance. As well as brands that would consider using it as a canal from communication corporate. “I’m not looking for the buzz, or for companies to be sued. I just want things to happen“, she says.
“Everything that is anonymous is false”
From mid-January, a Parisian jewelry brand, Lou Yetu, is the new start-up to bear the brunt of the account. The accusations are multiple (hidden work, harassment, …), but on the phone his spokesperson refutes: “The brand strongly denies the attacks because they are carried anonymously. These unfounded testimonies are orchestrated as part of a smear campaign. We wonder about the motivations of the account since the publication of the name of our direct competitors, who they would be ethical. “
Furthermore, it states that Lou Yetu is forced to to pursue anyone related to these defamatory remarks which constitute cyberharcèlement. The founder of the brand, Camille Riou, has deleted his Instagram account since the publication of the first statements.
Stéphanie Delestre, the founder of the recruitment site Qapa, also in turmoil, assures no not to have fear. “You have to be firm, everything that is anonymous is false, it could even be my ex-husband signing the posts, she argues. I actually tried to create an account on Glassdoor. It is very easy to leave a review without leaving your name. That’s why it’s not worth anything. The best thing is transparency.“
To support her point, she highlights the absence of recourse to the labor from Qapa. Stéphanie Delestre is also ready to open the doors of her company “to prove that everything is fine“. She concludes: “As in many start-ups, the first concern is the employees and then the business. At Qapa, this controversy therefore has no consequences, internally or externally.“
Verification of testimonials
On the other side of the ring, the author of Libra your start-up laments the reaction of companies to theanonymity. “You have to think that there are humans behind. To discredit the words of victims under cover of anonymity is very serious. Especially since these individuals do not want to speak because they are afraid “, she justifies.
In order to ensure the veracity of confession, it asks employees and former employees to evidence from job in targeted companies. It can be accounts LinkedIn or some contracts, a way according to her “to eliminate slanderers who want to cause harm”.
Ultimately, the ex-startuper aims to to propose to employees in distress a space where to welcome them. They can then know their rights and get of advice. Finally, to deepen his research work, she specifies that she wants to rely on journalists.
As part of this investigation, we also contacted Chefing, Lydia, Swile and Doctolib. They did not wish to answer us.
E-reputation at the center of concerns
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Faced with charges on social networks, Stephanie Laporte, specialist in e-reputation and founder of the Otta agency, advises companies on two postures to adopt.
The first, in the case ofpartial accusations, the company has the right to defend itself by showing transparency. She then adopts an attitude defensive and shows the actions deployed internally, whether for the well-being of employees or to meet certain commitments. Another solution, the company shows itself compassionate to the people who have suffered from the situation. By showingopening, she makes it clear that there will be adjustments.
The denial full facts is therefore not the right approach. “We see among start-ups that internal communication is often neglected. The definition of this status is to be looking for a business model. Unfortunately the adjustment variable is the human being, ‘we neglect in favor of growth “, reason Stéphanie Laporte.
Regarding the anonymity of testimonials, the e-reputation expert is clear, it is once again precariousness of model. “This suffering at work should have increased on the part of the teams. Regardless of the level of veracity of the testimonies, we realize that there is still a concern for there to be so much anger.“, slice the specialist.
Therefore, the priority of the companies concerned would be to makeadjustment and of restore the trust internally. The tribunal popular opinion that takes place on Instagram cannot replace the justice. “These testimonies are important, but the evidence is even more so“, concludes Stéphanie Laporte.
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