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Bolt has laid off 17 of its 70 employees in Nigeria, despite its recent promise to increase employment opportunities in Africa, as per a report by Techpoint.Africa.
According to the Regional Manager of Bolt for West Africa and North Africa, Ire Obatoki, the layoffs were a result of operational adjustments to foster better performance within the company.
“Bolt had to terminate work contracts with 17 of its employees in Nigeria due to an initiated strategy to improve our operational processes in the country. This was certainly not an easy decision to make, and we completely understand the frustration of the affected employees,” she said.
Affected employees, on the other hand, stated the layoff happened after the corporation promised there would be no layoffs. They were persuaded that management would just restructure, form new teams, and rearrange personnel.
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They voiced their disappointment that the meeting, which they mistook for an announcement of new teams, was really to notify them that they were being laid off.
Each employee apparently received a severance package based on the length of time they had worked for the firm. Workers who had been with the firm for a year received one month's severance, those who had been with the company for two years received two months' severance, and those who had been with the company for less than a year received half of their monthly wage.
Bolt noted that it “offered the affected employees an additional three months of health insurance and three months of access to psychological support and a career coach to help them navigate the transition to new employment opportunities.”
The layoffs are also contrary to the promise the company made a few days ago, when they promised to increase their economic footprint on the continent, providing more jobs, and committing to a $530 million investment plan.