The owner of clothing brand Kyte Baby has apologized twice after an employee was allegedly denied the option to work from home after adopting a 22-week premature baby.
Kyte Baby founder Ying Liu took to TikTok to respond to criticism after employee Marissa Hughes was fired after her request to work from home to care for her newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit was denied from a hospital for nine hours. far.
“I really want to apologize to her and the community, and I really want to take this opportunity to say I’m sorry,” Liu said in a second apology video on Thursday.
Liu had posted an apology the day before, but quickly doubled down after critics accused her of appearing “scripted.”
Hughes and her husband Rawley, of Dallas, adopted their baby Judah Al Haven Hughes in late December after receiving a call from their adoption agency.
Judah was located nine hours away in El Paso, Texas, where he was born prematurely at 22 weeks and weighed just one pound, the new family revealed in a GoFundMe.
Ying Liu, the founder of Kyte Baby, took to TikTok to respond to the massive criticism. Kytebaby/Tiktok “I really want to apologize to her and the community.” Kytebaby/Tiktok
Because the baby was born premature, he has “several health issues” and requires an extended hospital stay and is expected to be discharged from the NICU at the end of March, Hughes revealed at the fundraiser that has raised almost $40,000.
Hughes, who has not commented publicly on her alleged dismissal, reportedly applied to work at the hospital while her baby was admitted, but was only offered two weeks.
Hughes and her husband Rawley adopted their baby Judah Al Haven Hughes in late December after receiving a call from their adoption agency. Marissa Hughes/Gofundme
The Post has contacted Hughes for comment.
The new mom’s tenure at Kyte Baby is less than one year, which means she does not qualify for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
To be eligible for the FMLA, an employee must work for a company with more than 50 employees and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months prior to taking leave, according to the Department of Labor. The FMLA provides employees with 12 weeks of unpaid leave while maintaining benefits such as health care.
Judah was located nine hours away and was born prematurely at 22 weeks and weighed barely half a kilo. Marissa Hughes/Facebook
Adoptive parents also have the right to maternity leave if a company offers it to them. It is not clear if Kyte Baby does.
Hughes, who suffered from infertility before deciding to adopt, was allegedly told that if she did not return after two weeks, she would no longer have a position at Kyte.
However, Hughes’ sister revealed in a now-deleted video posted on TikTok that another Kyte employee, who was pregnant, was offered leave and even invited to the company’s warehouse to pick up products from her registry.
Hughes, who suffered infertility for three years before the adoption, was allegedly told that if she did not return after two weeks, she would no longer have a position at Kyte. Marissa Hughes/Facebook
Liu said she was the one who “vetoed his request to go remote” and admitted in retrospect that it was a “terrible, insensitive and selfish decision.”
“[I] She was only focused on the fact that her work had always been done in person and she did not see the possibility of doing it remotely,” said the owner of the baby brand in the TikTok video.
“I can’t imagine the stress she had to go through not having the option to go back to work and having to deal with a newborn in the NICU,” Liu continued. “In retrospect, it was really a terrible mistake. I own 100% of that.”
The new mom’s tenure at Kyte Baby is less than one year, which means she does not qualify for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Marissa Hughes/Facebook
Liu said he would review his human resources policy and procedures because he agreed with critics that Kyte Baby needed to “lead by example.”
He also praised Hughes, calling her a “fantastic woman” with the “biggest heart.”
Liu also offered Hughes his job back and said he would receive full benefits and could do so remotely as requested. She also said the new mother would continue to be paid until she decided to return.
“Your original position will always be open for you when you return,” he said.
It is unclear whether Hughes will return to the Dallas-based company. The Post has contacted Kyte Baby for comment.
Earlier this week, Hughes gave an update on baby Judah’s condition. She said he was being moved to a level 4 NICU and that he was suffering from a blockage in his intestines, had an infection and holes in his lungs and heart.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn